New anti-bullying program at East Side
Elementary students will be recognized for being 'defenders' of others
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Tesia Galvan
Ellianna Baumstarck, Jazmine Salcido and Jaeda Torrez perform in an anti-bullying skit at East Side Elementary School last Friday afternoon. The fifth graders performed a skit featuring the different types of people involved with bullying, such as the bully, the person being bullied, the disengaged onlooker and the defender. The skit was an introduction to the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
WORLAND – Starting this week, teachers will have weekly meetings with their students at East Side Elementary School as part of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.
Last Friday, Principal Kenneth Dietz held an assembly where students watched a skit performed by East Side fifth graders and the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program was shared.
"Backed by 35 years of research and successful, worldwide implementation, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a long-term, system-wide program for change involving program components at four levels: school-level components, classroom-level components, individual-level components and community-level components," the website states.
Dietz said the administration wants to recognize students who are defenders and stick up from those who are being bullied by giving them an "I Noticed" award. "You'll also receive an East Side necklace or bracelet that has an anti-bullying message it," Dietz said. "We decided to do that because it's important enough that we want to help you know what to do."
Special education teacher Shilo Paxton said the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has four rules. Paxton said the first rule is students will help other students who are being bullied, the second rule is students will not bully other people, the third rule is students will include other students when they are being left out and the final rule is students will tell an adult at school when someone is being bullied.
To help the students be mindful of the new bullying prevention program students signed an anti-bullying banner that hangs in the school to serve as a commitment to help stop bullying. Posters will also be placed in the hallway.
"Our goal is to be bully free," Dietz said. "We will work together to make that happen."
