There Are Heroes, and "She-roes", Among Us
"How Important It Is for Us to Recognize and Celebrate Our Heroes and She-roes!" --Maya Angelou
by Jen Hackman
November 06, 2007
It’s true! Kids CAN be heroes and on October 18, seventh graders gathered in Fremont for the Bullying Prevention Leadership Conference to learn how to take a stand against bullying.
During the conference, students learned the concepts of heroism and how bystanders can prevent bullying. “Bully-proofing your school” was a key concept of the conference, as was knowing how to recognize bullying and learning what to do when you witness someone being bullied.
According to the National Center for Bullying Prevention, school kids have seen bullying in or around their school one to six times within the last month; bullying happens most often on the school bus or in the hallways; and kids bully because it makes them “feel powerful”.
Bullying can include hitting, pushing, name calling, teasing, threatening, sending mean emails, taking or ruining personal property or deliberately leaving someone out. If a person is hurting another person on purpose, it’s bullying.
Most bullying happens when a victim is alone or when adults aren’t around.
One thing kids can do to keep from being bullied or to stop others from bullying is to hang out with other kids or at least make sure other students are around.
Another thing students can do is tell an adult. Moms, dads, teachers and other grown ups can help.
Kids need to remember that bullies want their victims to feel scared, so kids should try not to get scared or upset. Instead, a bullied student should remain calm and say, “Leave me alone!”
The conference was sponsored by ESU 2 Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Consortium.
Wahoo Middle School Guidance Counselor Anne Egr described the conference as “awesome” and “super cool”.
Students really loved the conference and are planning to present their information to the WMS Parent Teacher Organization.
