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East students take aim at bullying
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East High School students, from left, senior Kayla Mitchell, freshman Alexis Palumbo, freshman Darneal Lewis and seniors Reginald Allen and Trey Ingram work on an anti-bullying skit.
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
East High School senior Kayla Mitchell believes bullying is something that’s been overlooked for too long.
“We’re trying to shine a light on bullying and not overlook it because sometimes bullying can lead to suicide,” Kayla, 17, said.
She is a member of both the Q-Team and the Destination Imagination team at the school. Those teams are working together on an anti-bullying initiative.
Students from all area schools are invited to the teams’ “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” event from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the school, 474 Bennington Ave. They’ll make T-shirts, friendship bracelets, key chains, lanyards and buttons with the anti-bullying theme and play mini-bowling, knocking over bowling pins bearing words regularly used by bullies. There’s no cost to attend or participate.
The two teams number 21 members of various grade levels.
“Bullying is a big problem in all schools,” said senior Trey Ingram, 18, vice president of the Q-Team.
The students want to stop it, he said.
Q-Team, short for Quaglia Team, is made up of students and teachers.
“We work with teachers to come up with a plan on how to get students and teachers to work together to further students’ education,” explained Reginald Allen, 18, a senior and the team’s president.
The team formed out of the school’s working with the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations. This is the third year the Maine-based organization has been working in the district to try to improve school climates, giving students more of a voice.
The Destination Imagination team participates in an annual contest with a theme or community need and a plan to address it. DI is a creative-thinking and problem-solving competition for young people.
“The two teams are partnering on this project,” said Jeanne Constantino, DI coach and an East teacher.
More anti-bullying projects are planned by the two teams later this year.
Kayla said it’s sometimes difficult to discern bullying from people kidding with their friends. It’s not like there’s one big school bully, she said.
“It’s more like multiple small ones,” added freshman Alexis Palumbo, 15, a DI team member.
Freshman Darneal Lewis, 15, sees bullying as an important issue among young people.
“It’s not very good to be bullied,” he said, adding that he’s witnessed it.
If someone sees it, he or she should intervene to try to stop it, he says.
Both seniors Tyler Johnson and Raymar Rivera, 18, said they’ve been victims of bullies in the past. They learned, though, to stand up for themselves.
“I think when somebody is bullying, they’re trying to make us meek and feel weak,” Raymar said.
Standing up for yourself builds your confidence, he said.
Tyler learned that, too.
“I don’t let anybody tell me anything about myself because I know it isn’t true,” she said.