Unity Day: Wear orange to ‘Stand up! Step up!’ against bullying

By Carson Almomani, Staff Writer

It’s something that impacts more than three million students each year. It’s something parents and teachers worry about.

It’s not drugs or sex. It’s the hostile act of bullying.

Everybody has seen those teen flicks where the “nasty, mean, popular girl” bullies the “unpopular girl.” This is not just one of many chances for Hollywood to create a story. It’s also a story many students face outside of the theater and inside their schools. In 2014, nearly 20 percent of U.S. students between the grades of 9-12 reported being bullied or having had feelings of being bullied. Experts state that bullying occurs most in middle school, with 28 percent of students between grades 6-8 reporting the same.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define bullying as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying can occur in-person or through technology.”

In an attempt to combat bullying, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools takes part in the Stand Up! Step Up! Against Bullying campaign in October. Earlier in the month, a community walk to stop bullying was held at BB&T Ballpark. Tomorrow (Wednesday), students, staff and parents are encouraged to wear orange on Unity Day.

“I think it’s very sad it’s still occurring. We’re so aware of how terrible it is,” guidance counselor Lisa Lara said. “We need to be around people who are kind. We need to create self-awareness by discussing it. We need to behave in a way of being role models for kindness.”

The website DoSomething.org lists 11 facts about bullying. Approximately 160,000 teens a day skip school because of bullying; 71 percent of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school, but by age 14, less than 30 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls will talk to their peers about bullying.

“If you see someone being bullied, call them out,” junior Shirley Tan said.

The act of bullying stops 57 percent of the time if someone intervenes: “We need to feel comfortable to say ‘stop,’ ” Lara said.

Most bullying occurs in school with “name calling.” Other types include teasing, rumor spreading, physical incidents, purposeful isolation, threats, theft, and sexual harassment. And a huge number of teens report seeing frequent cyber-bullying.

Since the creation of social media, teens have been flocking to the internet for ways to express themselves and message with friends until their phone battery runs out. Cyber-bullying is a growing problem among the webs of the internet, with 70 percent of students saying they see frequent cyber-bullying.

The impact of bullying is far worse than hurt feelings. Experts estimate that 75 percent of school shootings have been associated with bullying of the shooter, a major concern for the nation that has led to endless conversation and debates. Bullying also has a lasting effect on teens growing into adulthood: One in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.

Events like Unity Day help shed light on the subject. While 20 to 30 percent of bullying victims tell adults or other authorities about their situation, DoSomething.org reports that one in four teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and intervene only 4 percent of the time.

“I think bullies bully because they are insecure,” Tan said. “We need to explain to the bullies that we have zero tolerance. It’s unnecessary and we should strive to be nice to others. If you try to be nice to someone, they usually try to be nice. If not, then just stay away.”