Courtney Trimm, left, and Dylan Ruth, both Grade 6 students at J.J. Curling Elementary School in Corner Brook, talk about the prevalence of bullying. — Star Photo by Geraldine Brophy

The battle to eradicate bullying from schools is about to take another step forward.

Many local schools at the elementary, junior high an high school levels will be taking part in International Stand Up to Bullying Day, which will be marked Nov. 21.

Inspired by a pair of students who decided to have all of their fellow senior high school students wear pink shirts after another student was bullied for wearing one, Stand Up Day will involve teachers and students wearing pink shirts displaying their pledge against bullying. The day will also feature activities, videos and lessons with an anti-bullying theme.

It’s not the first concerted effort to address the problem of bigger or older students senselessly picking on the vulnerable, but bullying is an issue which students, parents and teachers all have to continue to be vigilant about.

“There is still a lot of bullying going on on the playground, on the bus or going home,” said Courtney Trimm, a Grade 6 student at J.J. Curling Elementary School in Corner Brook. “You see a lot of older kids picking on kids younger than them or smaller than them, or maybe even on some kids that might have special needs.

“It makes you feel pretty bad because, if it was me being picked on, I would feel pretty put down.”

Trimm’s classmate Dylan Ruth agreed that educational campaigns have helped, but not banished bullying far enough away.

“It’s hard to do something about it,” he said. “When you see a gang of people going over to pick on one person for the silliest reason, it’s not a good feeling.

“I think campaigns are making a difference to some of the bullies, but the kids have to do their part and stand up too sometimes and tell a parent or teacher they are being bullied. Some people just keep it to themselves and don’t want to tell anybody, but they should tell somebody.”

In some cases, said Trimm, the bullied person simply talking to the bully might be effective.

“I think, if you are being bullied, you should go and talk to that person about it and tell them what they’re doing is hurting you, instead of keeping it all to yourself,” she said.

Mike Luedee, J.J. Curling’s principal, said great strides have been made in the battle against bullying in recent years, but it would be naive to think the problem has gone away. While overt bullying, like violence and rough play, are easily recognized, bullying often takes more subtle, if not invisible, forms.

He said bullies make up a minute percentage of the students population. The effort to curb inappropriate behaviour towards their fellow students has shifted from educating them about the ill effects of bullying to rewarding positive behaviour, creating empathy for victims or, if necessary, punishment for those who continue not to adhere to the anti-bullying message.

“I think the schools are doing their job,” said Luedee. “It’s just that so many other aspects of society are not onside with us — video games or the aggressive tendencies we see manifesting itself in society today are spilling back into our children.

“We try to educate the students and try to create empathy because, a lot of the time, the bullies were once victims of bullying themselves.

“We also tell students they just aren’t allowed to do some of the things they are doing and that, if they were adults doing this, they would probably get a visit from the police.”

From The Western Star.