Students at South Division High School watched BMX riders launch over ramps and, in one stunt, over Principal Jose Trejo during an Oct. 8 gymnasium assembly that blended entertainment with messages about bullying and mental health. The event was part of the No Hate Tour, which visited two Milwaukee high schools last week. Zack “Catfish” Yankush, a veteran professional BMX rider who emceed the program, said the stunts help draw students into conversations they might otherwise tune out. “If I came out here with no ramps, no BMX and I said, ‘For the next 45 minutes I’m gonna talk to you guys about bullying,’ I would get eaten alive,” Yankush said. The show, he said, grounds its message in everyday choices: be kind, get to class on time and don’t mistreat others. Yankush told students that bullying can be connected to self-harm and cited figures that he said show 88% of students have witnessed cyberbullying and 20% of U.S. high school students have thought about suicide. He urged young people who feel isolated to remember they matter and are loved. “You might just be looking for a sign from the universe that you are enough and you matter and you are loved,” he said. “This is that sign you were looking for.” Yankush said he discovered BMX at age 11 and hopes young people can find an activity or interest that gives them a sense of purpose. The tour’s performances offer one way to reach students with that encouragement while raising awareness of bullying and mental health. The crowd cheered as riders performed flips and jumps. Trejo said it was “a little scary” to have riders flip over him, but also exciting.