3/3/2011 5:00:00 AMRegina Brett: Bullying is not tolerated by students at Cleveland's Orchard Elementary School
Urban Journalism Workshop photo illustration
Students at Orchard Elementary School in Cleveland are doing what they can to prevent bullying.
March 03, 2011, 5:15 AM
By Regina Brett, The Plain Dealer
Bullies don't stand a chance at Cleveland's Orchard STEM School.
They're outnumbered by student mediators. A while back I wrote a series of columns about bullies, victims and bystanders and called for more people to be protectors. The students at the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) elementary school decided to be defenders.
They sent me a packet of letters about what they're doing to make their school safe for all:
"We decided to have a 4th category -- defenders. At our school we have each other's backs!!" Shannon wrote. "At Orchard ,we have a mediation council that stops bullying and helps our fellow classmates. Kids that are not in mediation still try their best to protect their classmates. We work good together. We do not bully each other," Michael wrote.
"In our school we are not bullies, we are defenders. We like to defend our classmates. We are like a big family," Deanna wrote.
Alanna Meyers-Kiousis teaches language arts class at Orchard to students in grades 6, 7 and 8. She read my columns to her class and they had a discussion. One girl wrote about how she was once bullied:
"I really understand people need to do something about all the teasing and bullying instead of being bystanders. They need to be protectors and start defending the people they see getting picked on. I'm going to tell you something. When I was in fifth grade, I used to get picked on ... . I used to wanna just disappear because I was tired of it. I had friends but they never tried to defend me. They were bystanders."
Another admitted to not doing enough: "I am a bystander. But the only reason I don't defend is because I'm scared. Others are defenders. I cry if someone yells at me. I'm a very kind and sensitive child."
Alanna has been teaching for 20 years. She has seen all kinds of bullying, mostly children making fun of each other. At Orchard, they use the WAVES (Winning Against Violent Environments) program to combat bullying. They've created a culture where it's not cool to bully. The also created a mediation council called T.O.P., Together Orchard's Peaceful.
Students get three days of training with a teacher to learn mediation skills. They explore the problem, ask questions to search for solutions then sign and date a contract with solutions that both sides agreed on.
She teaches students that conflict isn't good or bad. It's normal and natural and part of life. The key is to give the kids tools to use. One of her students offered this advice: "People that are out there that have been bullied or that are getting bullied, DON'T BE AFRAID. Those bystanders that are out there don't watch. Protect that person that is getting bullied. Victims that are out there, reveal yourself. Don't be a victim.
Everybody in this world, be a defender. Protect others that are getting hurt," Jonathan wrote.
Alanna loves it when she overhears students in the hall tell each other, "Let's go to mediation."
"We hear so many negative things about our schools. People need to know there are good things going on," she said.
Here's another good thing going on: Months ago I wrote about Justin Bachman, a 13-year-old eighth-grader with Tourette's syndrome, who had been bullied at an athletic event. Justin and his family have created Justin's Tolerance Fair. It takes place from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, at the Solon Recreation Center, 3500 Portz Parkway.