Logan West, Connecticut’s Outstanding Teen spoke to Prendergast school students on Friday, April 15 about how they can battle bullying.
Ms. West shared her person battles with bullying from when she was a seventh grader and was verbally and physically abused by classmates. Never wanting to see another child have to endure what she went through, Ms. West decided to create a program to stop bullying.
Ms. West, a 16 year old , 11th grade student at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts spoke to students in grades 2 – 5 about ways in which they can stop bullying and the effects that bullying can have on students.
In a powerful demonstration, West had students come up and say typical bullying phrases to a paper doll.
As they said the phrases, they each ripped off a small piece of the doll. West then had each student apologize as she taped the pieces back together. West then said, “Even though we apologized and put the pieces back together, someone who is bullied is never the same.” She ended the program with a pledge against bullying.
West described her 5 tips to address bullying which can be found on her website www.stompingoutbullying.com. The tips are:
- Tell the bully that what they are doing is hurting you. Often times they don’t realize when a joke has gone too far.
- Tell the bully to stop. Let them know you won’t put up with the bullying.
- Walk away from the bully. If you aren’t there, they can’t bother you.
- Approach the bully with a group of people. Bullies usually don’t like large groups of people.
- Tell a teacher, principal, or adult you trust about the bully so they can handle the situation properly.
This presentation is part of a larger anti-bullying initiative at Prendergast School led by Behavior Intervention Teacher, Melissa Cook and School Counselor, Meghan Geddes.
The school is using a combination of programs like this and education about bullying as a means to create a positive learning environment.
“The program today was excellent,” said Mr. Larry Diplama, Principal, “Logan did an amazing job of connecting with the students and sending out our message that Prendergast School is a positive place to learn.”
