Planet Fitness^® is known for its devotion to creating judgement-free, safe environments for its members. As part of the judgement-free initiative, the brand holds a “Shut Out Bullying” contest where Michigan-based schools and youth organizations serving grades K-12 are invited to apply for funding by sharing their bullying prevention initiatives.

In January, Detroit-area PF^® franchisees EPIC Fitness Group and Impact Fitness, in partnership with the Detroit Red Wings, announced the winner of the third annual “Shut Out Bullying” contest was L’Anse Creuse Middle School – North. The middle school serves students in grades 6-8 in Macomb County, Michigan. The school was awarded $10,000 to support and expand its bullying prevention efforts.

EPIC Fitness Group and Impact Fitness presented the award during a special ceremony in Heritage Hall at Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 18 before the Detroit Red Wings vs. Ottawa Senators hockey game. In attendance at the ceremony, outside of Planet Fitness, there were staff from L’Anse Creuse Middle School – North, including Principal Andrea Glynn and representatives from the Detroit Red Wings such as Red Wings alumni Danny DeKeyser. After the ceremony, everyone was welcome to stay and watch the Detroit Red Wings play in the game. It was a celebration of all the efforts of the middle school to make learning a judgement-free zone.

“Local Planet Fitness franchise groups are incredibly proud to recognize L’Anse Creuse Middle School – North and the meaningful work they are doing,” said Mary Scott, vice president of marketing at EPIC Fitness Group. “At Planet Fitness, our Judgement Free Zone^® philosophy is about creating environments where everyone feels safe, accepted and supported – and this school is doing exactly that for its students.”

L’Anse Creuse Middle School – North was chosen due to its thoughtful, student-centered approach to addressing bullying. The school has long maintained anti-bullying procedures, including participating in Michigan’s OK2SAY anonymous reporting program. However, school administrators uncovered a growing need to create proactive, schoolwide bullying prevention. With the $10,000 award, the middle school staff plans to strengthen its anti-bullying strategy by expanding staff training, implementing evidence-based curriculum, creating restorative practices and ramping up community engagement initiatives. The school will also use funding to improve existing anti-bullying efforts like The Positivity Project, which opens the door for weekly character education discussions, as well as a newly launched student-focused counseling podcast that focuses on encouraging kindness, empathy and reporting resources.

“These funds will allow us to be more proactive instead of reactive,” said Glynn. “Our students are surrounded by caring adults who want the best for them, and this support will help us build a culture where kindness is modeled, taught and reinforced every day.”