Energized, a BMX rider jumps over Staff Sergeant Shawn Anderegg, USMC, and Principal Erin Campbell during the first assembly. Spanish Teacher Blanca Badillo sat in Ms. Campbell’s seat for this stunt during the second assembly.
Carefully balancing, a BMX rider stands atop his bike while circulating the fieldhouse. The four BMX riders who visited are award-winning, and known for their participation in the X Games.
Gliding mid-air, a BMX rider jumps over Staff Sergeant Shawn Anderegg, USMC, and Spanish teacher Blanca Badillo during the second assembly. Sra. Badillo was chosen at random to be in the spotlight for this stunt.
Taking the mic, staff Sergeant Shawn Anderegg, USMC addresses the field house during the first assembly. Staff Sergeant Anderegg, the US Marine Corps recruiter for the area, joined the four BMX bikers in spreading an anti-bullying message across the area.
Soaring through the fieldhouse, a BMX athlete performs a trick in which he loses contact with the bike in mid-air. The BMX riders for the No Hate Tour visit 180 schools across the country each year.
With effort, Vishnu Mahadasu ’26 joins the Marine’s pull-up bar competition at the end of the first assembly. Mahadasu raised the record of pull-ups for the day from 17 to 21.
Scott
On Thursday, Nov. 9, students gathered in the field house gym during first block to witness the No Hate Tour’s exhibition: an anti-bullying address accompanied by BMX stunts.
No Hate Tour is an initiative founded in 2000 that combines the energy of action sports with bullying prevention methods and information for students nationwide. The program showcases top BMX athletes in their presentations, aiming to deliver messages that resonate with teens in an engaging, peer-to-peer manner.
“It’s important to talk about bullying and to make sure people know about it,” Awa Currier ‘25 said. “The way that [No Hate Tour presents] gets the message across better because they aren’t the same people we see every day, so we’re more likely to listen and to remember them.”
The athletes performed thrilling stunts, including soaring above Spanish teacher Sra. Badillo and Principal Campbell. This is the second time No Hate Tour has visited Westwood, the first being in 2021.
“I feel like the topics this year were a lot more relevant than when they came [my] freshman year,” Currier said. “[This exhibit is] a lot easier to listen to than a regular bullying assembly with a slideshow, [because] it is engaging and makes me want to listen to what they say.”
![In their full runway outfits, (from left) Audrey Lee 25, Olivia Lucy Teets, 25, Fashion Design teacher Ms. Judy Chance, and Xueying Lili Yang pose for a photo. All three girls made it to Austin Fashion Week by getting in the top 10 in a previous runway show held by Shop LC.
[I like my students] creativity and how they can look at a fabric and make it their own, Ms. Chance said.](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_9686-e1714088765730-1129x1200.jpeg)
