The month of October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and the Wakefield community has taken steps towards spreading awareness about bullying and its negative effects. Counselors and students alike work together to educate others as well as create a space for those who may be struggling with bullying.
Students faced with bullying are encouraged to talk to a trusted adult, but it may be hard to find that person. National Bullying Prevention Month aims to alleviate this issue by letting students know that they are not alone. One in every five students has reported being bullied, so actions like Kindness Week implemented by the counselors, or videos spreading awareness can make an impact. It is important to note that bullying comes in all forms; physical bullying, spreading rumors or even being excluded from activities are all categorized as bullying.
In recent years, one of the most prevalent forms of bullying is cyberbullying: a form of bullying with the use of technology. While the actions are not in person, the bully has the intention of intimidating and making victims feel bad about themselves. In fact, almost 70% of tweens reported that cyberbullying resulted in their feelings about themselves being hurt. In a time when students are impressionable and learning about the world, the effects of bullying and cyberbullying can have long-lasting impacts.
This year, the school counselors initiated Kindness Week to encourage the student body to be kind and speak up when they notice bullying. Rasheedah Fletcher has been working at Wakefield for three years and helped to organize Kindness Week to inspire kindness schoolwide to address bullying.
“Kindness Week is an attempt to create awareness about bullying prevention and a way to be engaged with students [and] possibly invite conversations around bullying,” Fletcher said.
For an entire week, the counselors ran sessions during PACK Time to attract students to the cause. From creating bracelets and passing out pins to writing letters to those affected by Hurricane Helene in Western Carolina to taking a pledge against bullying, Kindness Week has been a stepping stone for the school’s discussion about bullying.
Jessica OBerto is also a school counselor and helped put together Kindness Week. While some students may not have been engaged or interested in the PACK Times, Oberto sees it as an opportunity to spread the word and make other students feel safe. While this is the first year Wakefield has participated in Kindness Week, its efforts were not lost.
“I think sometimes people feel alone, especially in feeling bullied, so to see other students engaged and wearing a button or something that shows they care about the idea might help other students speak up,” Oberto said.
While this is the first year of Kindness Week, Wakefield has led other efforts in raising awareness about bullying. Last year, the theater class produced a student led video about bullying. The video was submitted to the Stand Up! Speak Out! contest and won second place in the districts. Sophomore Glenn Roettger was one of the members involved in the creation and played the main character. The video voices what it is to be a bully and the repercussions.
The class had been given a script to work with, but it was up to them to put in the work to create the final product. Each period had the opportunity to create a video, so it was monumental that one of the three was recognized for its efforts. Roettger speaks about the process and the hopeful effects of the video.
“It is part of the cumulative effect that stops people from wanting to be these bullies and stops people from hating these bullies for the rest of their lives,” Roettger said.
