Sanders County School recognize anti-bullying
SANDERS COUNTY - October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and two schools, vastly different in size and on opposite ends of the county, have both made it a mission to prevent bullying, each in their own way.
“My personal feeling is that sometimes the term bullying is overused. I think people just tune out when they hear that word. I’m approaching it in another way,” said Barb Mosher, the Trout Creek School counselor.
Mosher described that at the Trout Creek School, what she tries to do is focus more on character building. She explained that it is good to understand bullying and to stop it when it occurs, but it is also important to foster personal traits in each student that will make bullying not an issue.
During the school announcements everyday, which the students read aloud themselves, a ‘tip of the day’ is read, Mosher said. She explained that at the school there is a motto that is taught and emphasized; “Be Safe!, Be Respectful!, Be Responsible!, Be a Learner!” The tip of the day always relates to one of the ‘four B’s.”
The after school program at the Trout Creek School, which is very active and meets everyday, is in Mosher’s view a very important part of character development and bullying prevention.
“Ms. Gabby does a lot of research on the Internet, she is our after school person, so she continues to use character building stuff with them, because those are the most impressionable times of their life. They go over good characteristics, which are not just good for school, but for life… to make them responsible adults. That is how we are approaching it, rather than national bullying week or whatever,” Mosher said.
In Mosher’s opinion, she said the Trout Creek School’s stance on character development works very well. She explained that whenever the school takes a field trip, the teachers are given compliments on how the students are very well behaved and helpful.
Across the county to the east, the larger Plains School District approaches bullying also with preventive measures, but has to work it differently because of its school demographic.
“In our elementary and junior high we utilize a the program based on research called STEPS to Respect, basically a character ed[ucation] program, similar to with Trout Creek School. In the high school, we don’t necessarily have a character development program were we go in and teach or work with the students on a regular basis on a monthly basis or something like that,” said high school principal, Kevin Meredith.
Instead of character development, Meredith explained that the school makes it a mission to keep ears open and have a strong relationship with the school staff.
“We always make sure a counselor is making sure he is at lunchtime, in the hallway, getting to know all of our students as closely as possible, so when issues start to develop, he knows about it early and soon, and that is when we can take that appropriate action and being in the classroom specifically talking to the boys of the sophomore class or whatever class it may be. We just try to pinpoint and focus so when we know something is coming up, we can head it off.”
Meredith added that during Red Ribbon Week, the school incorporates anti-bullying decisions into the good decisions the school tries to teach and instill into the students.
A new issue the school is combating is bullying over the Internet and other forms of new technology.
Meredith said, “In the past they have always tried to make sure the junior high teachers do cyber-bullying and appropriate use of technology sessions.” He explained that in the years 5th through 8th grade the students are in a transitional period and will be introduced more heavily to the new forms of bullying.
Both schools expressed that at their schools that the student body exemplifies a respectful culture and school spirit.