Tuesday, the Leon County Victims Advocate, Carrie Leathers, visited the junior high and high school students to inform them about the consequences and effects of bullying. The bullying program was held earlier in the school year while past programs were held later on in the school year.
“Even though the program was only 45 minutes long, it offered a personal touch, which rarely happens at bullying programs,” junior Marissa Delacruz said. “I learned various things from the program, but the most interesting thing I learned about was the juvenile system. It’s a topic I have limited knowledge on, so it was nice to learn a little more about it.”
Bullying is a major issue that schools are always trying to crack down on. This program made students realize just how bad bullying really is, and for those who already knew, they could relate to some of the things that were talked about.
“The program made me feel sad, because bullying is a major problem,” freshman Selina Zacarias said. “People can get bullied for anything and it’s a horrible thing. I think it’s a good thing that Mrs. Leathers is trying to make people understand that bullying is never a good thing to do.”
During the junior and senior class’s 45 minutes, Mrs. Leathers surprised the students when she called out junior Dustin Golemon and used him in one of her scenarios.
“When the lady used me in a scenario, I wasn’t surprised at all,” Golemon said. “She was my P.E. teacher when I went to school in Centerville, and I was in one of the last P.E. classes she ever taught. I’m used to people talking about me so I didn’t really care that I was used in a scenario; I was just surprised she remembered me.”
For some students, the program was boring and couldn’t keep their attention. However, other students enjoyed it and thought it was better than past bullying programs.
“I believe that the bullying program had a momentous impact on the students,” Delacruz said. “It was better than most of the bullying programs we have had in the past. With the crackdown on bullying I feel as though all students will feel safer. All students deserve the pursuit of happiness.”
