Learwood Principal Wants To Fight Bullying

AVON LAKE, OH — Nearly 630 students at Learwood Middle School will take part in Rachel's Challenge, an anti-bully presentation and curriculum, on Tuesday. For the past three years, students at the school have taken part in some form of anti-bullying campaign, thanks to Principal Vishtasp Nuggud.

Nuggud told Patch that taking care of your peers is one of his guiding principles. He's been principal at Learwood for five years. In year two of his tenure, he decided he would run an annual anti-bullying campaign.

"Middle school is a tough age for kids. They’re learning about themselves and how to build relationships. Kids are not sure how to fit in," he said.

The first year of the anti-bullying plan saw Nuggud bring in Stand With the Silent, a program that aims to reach the bullied and the bullies. Nuggud thinks the program works and will bring it in every other year, so that all students that pass through Learwood experience the program at least once.

In the off years, when Stand With the Silent isn't at the school, Nuggud wanted to give other anti-bullying programs a chance to meet with students. This year, that will mean an opportunity for Rachel's Challenge to meet with students.

"Rachel’s Challenge is a program that’s known across the nation," Nuggud told Patch. "She was one of the first people that was gunned down at Columbine. She had written an essay about paying kindness forward and how if you can influence one person, it can make a world of difference."

Two assemblies will be held on Tuesday, one for seventh graders and one for eighth graders. There will then be a more focused activity for 50 to 70 students on paying kindness forward.

Then, in the evening, Rachel's Challenge will host a community-wide event at Avon Lake High School. The program is free and open to anyone who wants to attend, though the event is recommended for children in seventh grade and above.

The open event will be held Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Dr. Daniel B. Ross Performing Arts Center, 175 Avon Belden Road.

"There’s bullying in every school, to a point. Sometimes kids aren’t bullied, they’re teased. But it's defined as bullying by a person’s perception," Nuggud said. "We wanted to send a message of being good to others. We wanted to send a message to everyone of treating everyone with respect. Make sure you take care of each other. I think that’s important in this day and age."

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