'Say WHOA To Bullying' Brings Mini Horses To Elementary Schools

ANDOVER, MA — Mr. Buttons, the therapy horse, is different than most horses. He's smaller than a normal horse. He has orange highlights in his mane. He wears boots, and instead of a saddle, he's got a vest. Also, his name is Mr. Buttons.

But no one would make fun of Mr. Buttons for all that — it just makes him more adorable. And that's the lesson, when Toni Hadad takes him to elementary schools for the "Say WHOA To Bullying" program. It's okay to be different, just like Mr. Buttons, she tells the kids.

Hadad, who founded Lifting Spirits Miniature Therapy Horses in Andover, arranged to join the national "Say WHOA To Bullying" program, brought in the local police departments, and began working with local schools this year. She goes to elementary schools, with a police officer, and they do a presentation on bullying, using her miniature horse as an example. According to Hadad, her involvement is partly inspired by personal experience.

"My daughter was bullied in junior high and high school," Hadad said. "It was a really tough time."

The organization was founded by Shelly Mizrahi in Florida, in 2013, with her miniature horse Amos The Wonder Horse. The idea is to teach anti-bullying to younger kids, to stop or limit bullying before they reach middle and high school, when bullying is often at its worse. The use of animals, Hadad said, helps kids connect with the messaging and retain what they learn. The name comes from the command "whoa," which you use to tell a horse to stop.

"They'll actually approach the officer and the horse after," Hadad said. "They're not afraid of the officer because the horse is there."

"The kids love seeing the horses, and have a lot of questions. It gets their attention and keeps their interest, rather than us droning on about bullying," said Andover Police Sgt. Steve Gerroir, who has been conducting the presentations in Andover.

"They absolutely love the program and love the message. I've been getting calls and emails from parents, that the kids go home, and they talk about it — they talk about the things we said," Hadad said.

After the presentations, if there is time, students have the opportunity to meet the officer and the miniature horse. They then sign a pledge, and take home anti-bullying handbooks for themselves and their parents.

"it's kind of an interested take on delivering this anti-bullying message, just say 'whoa' to bullying. We're just trying to tell kids to be an upstander, not a bystander," Gerroir said.

"We've gotten good feedback from the school administrators," he added.

In October, Hadad has gone to Sanborn, South and High Plain elementary schools in Andover and Altavesta Elementary in Woburn, as part of bullying awareness month. Another visit is scheduled for next month, at St. Augustine's school, and she says she's looking at doing more programming in the spring.

"Our goal is to try to reach as many schools around the state as possible," Hadad said.

"Kids are depressed. They experience anxiety and stress. They won't go to school," said Hadad. "I've seen it first hand."

An informal survey of Patch readers in New England reveals great concern among parents about the extent and severity of bullying their children experience in school and online. Almost nine in 10 parents said their child had been bullied at least once, and nearly half said the bullying had occurred frequently. More detailed results are available here.

Christopher Huffaker: 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.