ST. JOHNSVILLE, NY — The OESJ Central School District (CSD) recently invited “The World’s #1 Youth Leadership Team” to its opening day, and district students are preparing to take their work with the team even further — this time, for the entire school year.

As part of an ongoing partnership with the OESJ CSD, Tom Murphy, Sgt. Rick Yarosh, Pat Fish, and Josiah McKeon, all from Sweethearts & Heroes, participated in the district’s Superintendent’s Conference Day on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Sweethearts & Heroes aims to prevent hopelessness, bullying and suicide by providing dynamic, inspiring content that centers on the human interaction skills necessary for schools and other organizations to change all aspects of their culture — skills such as empathy, compassion and teamwork.

Sweethearts & Heroes’ vast menu of services includes a profound, engaging signature presentation that calls for HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), Empathy and Action; Circle, which is built on the ancient ritual of communicating in a circle to build compassion and empathy; the BRAVE Youth Leadership System, which trains older students in bully drills that they, in turn, teach to students in lower grades, thus creating a sustainable, student-directed initiative; and The Kennedy Columbus STEP Program (Student Teacher Empathy Program), which teaches high school students how to present Sweethearts & Heroes’ signature assemblies for students in grades K-2 and 3-5.

Sweethearts & Heroes’ central team of traveling presenters includes: Tom Murphy, Director and Founder, of St. Albans, VT; Ret. U.S. Army Sgt. Rick Yarosh, a HOPE expert, Purple Heart recipient and motivational speaker from New York who was burned severely while serving in Iraq; and Pat Fish, BRAVE Program Director & Circle Specialist, also of New York. McKeon also visits schools for Sweethearts & Heroes.

The OESJ CSD’s partnership with Sweethearts & Heroes began in spring 2023, when Murphy and Yarosh inspired students and staff with their engaging, interactive assembly. Since then, the district has fostered a Circle community, and last January, the OESJ CSD held the official release event for Yarosh’s book,  A Bridge Named Amos, the inspiring, true story of his hero and service dog, Amos. OESJ CSD Art Teacher Kevin Cannon illustrated the book.

This year, the OESJ CSD will turn a new corner with Sweethearts & Heroes, to make the program’s impact even more sustainable for students and staff: Starting Friday, Sept. 12, McKeon will be in the district every Friday, for the remainder of the school year, for work on Sweethearts & Heroes’ Community Ambassador Program (CAP), a new initiative that lets students further explore Sweethearts & Heroes’ missions and messages — as well as themselves.

“Our opening day with Sweethearts & Heroes set an inspiring tone for the year ahead,” said Adam Heroth, Superintendent, OESJ CSD. “Their message of hope, empathy, and resilience aligns perfectly with our vision for OESJ, and it has become the foundation of our school district’s plan to work as a team, build trust, and foster positive relationships with students, staff, parents, and the community. We are proud to expand this partnership in the 2025–2026 school year as we continue to empower our students and staff to build a culture of care, connection, and leadership.”

For more than 16 years, Sweethearts & Heroes has presented what Murphy calls “‘the ‘stop, drop and roll’ of bullying” to more than 2.5 million students in school districts from New England to Hawaii and north into Canada. Sweethearts & Heroes also tailors its presentations and professional development workshops for businesses, non-profits and civic groups. Murphy said, “We go where we’re needed. That’s what heroes do.”

Sweethearts & Heroes’ other books include Boredom School: For Those Bored in School, a collection of captivating, humorous and thought-provoking poems by Pat Fish; and 13 Pillows For Affective Teachers, a novel by Tom Murphy and Brian McKeon, also of Vermont, that covers the themes of HOPE, Empathy and Action in the Sweethearts & Heroes curriculum.

In September 2024, during National Suicide Prevention Month, about 140 students from seven Upstate New York schools attended Sweethearts & Heroes’ first three-day — and phone-free — Youth Leadership Summit with Spartan Race at Killington Resort in Vermont.

Sweethearts & Heroes has also created The HOPE Classroom, a digital subscription service designed for various grade levels and different school sizes. This value-packed offering can allow Sweethearts & Heroes to be in every school in the U.S. For more on Sweethearts & Heroes, find them here on social media.