Did you know that there are about 160,000 children that miss school every day out of fear of being bullied? A bully is defined as a person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker. Bullying affects many people , some more harshly than others. I am sure that in many instances we don’t even notice that we are hurting someone elses feelings. But the fact of the matter is ,that when we say these hurtful things people will feel like they don’t belong. Diversity is a good thing and what makes us… us.  Bullying is something here at Dodd that we take very seriously.  We even have a bullying incident form. Though no matter how much the school officials try to keep a safe school climate, bullying still seems to creep into the school atmosphere.

I believe that the only way to  diminish bullying it to stand up for the victims. There should be less bystanders and more people standing up for the victims. We can have hundreds of assemblies, but they won’t make a difference unless we ,the students, change. Sometimes we are afraid to stand up to the bully because we are afraid that the bully might turn on us, and we might become the next victim. But if we all stand up to the bully, the tables will be turned. Doing what is right is a lot harder that doing what is the less noticeable.  I believe that if we each stick up for the victim, they will feel like they are not alone. We might just turn that bad situation a little bit better.  So next time you see someone getting bullied, try to come out of your comfort zone and stand up for what you believe is right.

~Cameryn Guetens