Students from Bethlehem Elementary School were recently honored for their efforts to stop bullying by the Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE).
Last fall, CSEE, as part of their “Bully Bust” campaign, launched a “Stand up to bullying” video contest.
On Feb. 12, CSEE announced that Bethlehem Elementary had won the national contest.
Bethlehem Elementary students Mary Kate Ellington, Katie Burdick, Will Burdick, Indy Schieber and Emily Brown starred in the one minute long public service announcement designed to increase awareness of bullying and teach students how to stand up for themselves and others. Student Demetrius Mason served as cameraman.
Principal Marisa Grant and school resource officer Dep. Marc Lacrimosa are also featured in the prize winning video.
Lacrimosa, currently in his first year as the Bethlehem Elementary SRO, wrote the skit and worked with gifted teacher Valerie Stapleton to organize the film production. Lacrimosa said the students are thrilled with the win and are determined to stop all forms of bullying.
“The students are on a motivational high,” Lacrimosa said. The video contest has made students and safety patrol members “very aware” of bullying, he said.
Bethlehem Elementary was one of 129 schools participating in the contest. As winners of the national contest, the school will receive a variety of educational materials to assist educators, administrators and students with their efforts to end bullying behavior.
“The staff development which is provided will help us grow and develop our Bethlehem stars into shining lights,” school principal Marisa Grant said.
Grant said she wanted the students to participate in the contest after behavior issues at a bus stop carried over into the classroom. Grant has since implemented an incentive program which rewards students for good behavior. Rules are posted school-wide and students recite a character pledge each day as part of the program.
Bullying, which includes both physical and emotional abuse, is prevalent in schools nationwide. Cyber bullying, which includes using email, text messaging or social networking sites to bully others, is also on the rise. According to CSSE, ten percent of all children are bullied on a regular basis. Thirty percent of children ages 11 to 15 have perpetrated or been victims of bullying and nine out of ten children have witnessed some form of bullying.
Studies show that when a school makes a commitment to reduce bullying, incidents can be reduced by as much as 50 percent.
Grant hopes that increased awareness of the problem will help develop a new life skill for her students.
“We hope that each and every day they will be respectful of each other,” she said.
The school’s winning video is posted online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psV6npvodoQ. The video was produced with the assistance of Marty Spears, station manager at WTV21 and Christopher Chiles, also of WTV21.
For more information regarding the “Bully Bust” campaign, visit www.BullyBust.org.
