The Northmont DECA chapter’s current public relations project is focused on tackling the dangers of the internet. These dangers include sexting, cyberbullying, identity fruad, predators, etc. With a heavy focus on social media, the 2015 Public Relations team, juniors Rachael Leiter, Jaylin Paschal, and Bethel Asseffa, launched the #How2Hashtag movement with the intention of promoting and spreading cyber literacy.

The DECA team feels it is important to instill cyber literacy into the school setting, especially since the majority of Northmont High School students have iPads with easy access to social media platforms. Due to the increasing presence of technology, the goal of #How2Hashtag is to affect the current student population in a way that sets a precedent of responsible internet usage that will continue on as more technology becomes involved with the average student’s daily life.

In order to spread positivity via Twitter and other social networks, the team attempted to stop the abuse of online sites among high school students. Instead of using the internet to get involved with the negatives of social media, #How2Hashtag encourages online networking and research.

Recently over 100 students signed the #How2Hashtag pledge, promising to think before they post. Join the #How2Hashtag movement by stopping by room 112 for more information and following the project on Twitter @nmcyberliteracy.