Students participated in an assembly where they were encouraged to “Disable the Label” of the R-word on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The assembly was hosted by Pattonville Student Council.

A week before the assembly, members of Student Council simulated disabilities to create awareness and spread the message of inclusion. There were four different disabilities simulated: mutism, hard of hearing, vision impairment and the absence of a dominant arm.

These students grabbed the simulation materials before school and wore them throughout the day until the end of 6th hour.

“It just makes me appreciate everything more,” junior Kaitlyn Kelly said. “That day was hard and I feel blessed that I had the ability to take it off. I have now developed a better understanding of what they go through. I will never be able to fully understand, but I want to be part of making a change.”

Every day of the week, students simulated a different disability, not to make fun, but to understand.

On the day of the assembly, Dakota Steffens, who represented Special Olympics Missouri, spoke to Pattonville about his experiences about being an athlete and how he never let his Cerebral Palsy stop him from doing the things he has wanted to accomplish in his lifetime.

Steffens said, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”

The second speaker at the assembly was Koran Bolden, a national award-winning speaker, author and the Chief Motivational Officer of Dream Success World Wide, and is mostly known for his work in the areas of resiliency, technology and entrepreneurship which has garnered him numerous awards and national media recognition.

Bolden started his career as a rapper and signed with Def Jam Records, but after a few months, his money and his fame ran low, and he was cut from the Label. He didn’t let that stop him from pursuing a successful career and he soon opened up his own profanity-free recording studio in the St. Louis Mills Mall.

He then went on to become a motivational speaker to students whose message, in a way, ties into Steffens’ message that the only disability in life is a bad attitude.

“I don’t know what has happened in your past, I can’t change that, but if you listen to me I can help you change your future,” Bolden said.

Bolden talked to the students about his journey and leadership and used the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to make a change.

Bolden played Rock, Paper, Scissors with students that attended the two different assemblies and said he had never been beat. After two successful games in the first session, he had two unsuccessful games in the second session and ended up giving away a total of $35 in bet money and an additional $20 to a student who simply asked for it.

“I didn’t think he was going to actually give it to me,” junior Alonna Gibson said about getting the money during the second assembly. “I was just being silly when he walked by, but he heard me and asked the people in the gym if he should give it to me, and he did! I guess it pays off to be bold.”

He chose different students to play him in Rock, Paper, Scissors based off of crowd response. In the first assembly, the first two people were junior JJ Smith and senior Kacie Baniak.

Smith caught Bolden’s attention by doing a silly dance.

Baniak took a different route. In what seemed like complete silence, Baniak yelled, “I can beat you, dude!” at the top of her lungs.

Bolden defeated both of them in the game, but at the end of the first assembly, went on to tell those two students to never change who they are because it takes a lot of courage to be yourself in front of a large group of people and that enthusiasm will take them far.

After the assemblies, Bolden said he wants students to take a lot of of his presentation.

“One of the things about being successful in life is that you have to have your rock, your paper and your scissors,” he said. “You have to have a rock moment where you believe in yourself. Henry Ford once said ‘Whether you believe that you can, or believe that you can’t, either way, you’re right.'”

He said the next things somebody must have is a paper and scissors moment.

“Write it down, ask yourself what you strive to be and go for it,” Bolden said. “The third is the hardest part. You have to learn how to pull out your scissors and cut away all of the distractions and negative parts of your life, even on your darkest days you must learn how to make the best of all situations. You cannot believe what others label you but you will believe how you label yourself.”

Student Council members hope that after the assembly, students decide to make a change.

At every lunch session this week, students will be given the opportunity to sign a banner that states they pledge to “Disable the Label” and refrain from using the derogatory term “retarded.”