On Nov. 14, RM hosted an assembly like never seen before — students and staff cheered as BMX stars performed jaw-dropping stunts in the gym, flipping and spinning their bikes with ease. But the assembly didn’t just showcase tricks; it delivered a powerful message on the importance of kindness and standing up to bullying.

The assembly is part of a larger program called the No Hate High School Tour. It aims to educate students about bullying and mental health while engaging the audience with thrilling BMX stunts, such as mid-air flips, tail whips and fast jumps over ramps. Now in its 25th year, the program has toured over 3000 schools across the country.

Students and staff alike were shocked at the program’s unique stunt performances. Previous assemblies consisted mostly of lectures in the auditorium and the occasional audience interaction, which was a stark contrast from the No Hate Tour.

“I thought it was a great way to get an important message across with things that would grab kids’ attention,” math teacher Laura Goetz said. “[It] was different from our usual assemblies, [where] someone gets up on a stage and just talks.”

Mrs. Goetz was chosen as a participant in one of the program’s stunts. She sat on a chair on top of an elevated platform while one of the BMX riders flipped right over her head, with students cheering throughout the whole performance. 

“I had complete confidence [in the rider],” Mrs. Goetz said. “The probability of getting hurt wasn’t zero but it was really low…it was very fun.”

Students generally liked the assembly. “I thought the assembly was really hype,” junior Sophie Zheng said. “I took a bunch of photos and videos.”

Zheng also noticed the difference between the No Hate Tour and past assemblies. “I know [for] a lot of the previous assemblies we would just get in the gym and listen to them talk, but now we can engage but also watch cool performances from bikers,” Zheng said.

Junior Walter Sha shared a similar positive sentiment. “[The assembly] was pretty good, man. Their bike tricks were pretty nice,” Sha said.

However, he recommended focusing more on the educational aspect during the assembly. “I think that next time they should probably do more stuff about bullying because they said that the assembly was about bullying, not bikes,” Sha said. 

On the other hand, Zheng believed the No Hate Tour’s incorporation of bike stunts made the delivery of the message more engaging. “I think the message that they’re sending out was one that we’ve already gotten a bunch of times, but the way they presented it was really interesting, and that’s what made it more effective than previous assemblies,” Zheng said.

Students overall hoped to see similarly impactful assemblies in the future. “Keep doing what you’re doing, BMX people,” Sha said.

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