Mt. Hope Students Band Together to Stop Bullying

Dozens of students are collaborating their efforts to make the school a better, friendlier place to be for their peers through a relatively new anti-bullying group.

Kiana Michels, a Senior at Mt. Hope, was one of the main driving forces in the creation of the program when she was in her Junior year. With the help of Colleen Powers, the group's advisor from Mosaico in Bristol, and guidance from outside sources, the program was born. The group, known as ARC, is now comprised of more than 40 students at the high school devoted to making it a better place and educating others about bullying.

"We started with just a few members," Michels said. "But it really picked up after the ."

Michels said the and escalated into an impacted the group favorably by raising awareness of the important issue. She said a number of students reached out to join ARC after the incident for help and as a way to vent and help others.

"We're willing to do whatever is necessary so that people can feel comfortable about themselves," Michels said, adding that the reason she got involved was because, like many who are bullied, she found herself treated like an outcast when she transfered to Mt. Hope. "There are so many different kinds of people and we all come together for one reason. We really want to make a difference. We want people to know that we are here and to see how we can help them"

Though Michels says no immediate changes have been put in place so far, the group plans implement a number of things in the school to help promote a safe, friendly environment. One new initiative will be to create a bullying box that will allow students to leave anonymous questions or comments about bullying in the school. ARC students will also be putting together a public service announcement on bullying.

"We're hoping to change the climate of the school and to empower others," Michels said.

Peer Leadership education

On March 1, ARC members were trained in Peer Leadership by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center from Bridgewater State University. Students learned about the characteristics of bullying and were taught quite a few things about cyber-bullying, a big problem students face throughout the country.

The Bridgewater State University representative put much of the emphasis on the lack of privacy of the world wide web.

"You may feel anonymous while your online, but your not," she said, noting that the computer's IP address can trace anything you do on the Internet back to you.

Many of the students were also surprised to learn that the fine print in many site's terms and conditions also explain how much information a site can use, divulge and take ownership of, including pictures posted on Facebook. When told that the Facebook terms of use actually stated that the site owned the photos posted and that they could actually sell information, students were in an uproar.

"The web is a public place," she said. "There is nothing you do online that is private."

The presentation was provided to the students to help the group better understand what they are up against when it comes to bullying and ways to help promote a bully-free environment at Mt. Hope High School.