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Austintown students learn ABC’s of bully prevention
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.McClurkin helped teach one of the students a new basketball trick after his speech on Jan. 25. He also showed off his own tricks as an ending performance.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.McClurkin showed students and teachers of AIS the "Magic Circle." The "Magic Circle" is something the Globetrotters do before every game they play.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Pictured, from left, are Joseph Bryan, Micah Riffle-Crogan, Alex Pflug, Markus Bair and Dillon Grenanmyer, third-grade students at Austintown Intermediate that attended McClurkin's speech at Austintown Fitch High School.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Julian "Zeus" McClurkin of the Harlem Globetrotters visited Austintown Fitch High School on Jan. 25 to speak to the students of Austintown Intermediate School about the ABC's of Bullying Prevention.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Julian “Zeus” McClurkin of the Harlem Globetrotters left the basketball court to make his way to Austintown Fitch High School on Jan. 25 to speak to the students of Austintown Intermediate School about the ABC’s of Bullying Prevention.
“My teammates gave me the name Zeus because of my dunking ability. They say every time that I dunk the ball it sounds like thunder,” said McClurkin as he introduced himself to the students of AIS.
McClurkin, a Columbus native, told the students about his life growing up and the story of how he became the person he is today. He explained to the students that bullying affected his life and the steps he took to overcome it.
The ABC’s of Bullying Prevention stand for action, bravery and compassion. For each of the different letters, McClurkin would pick a student volunteer from the audience to join him on stage. When the student joined McClurkin, they would tell him what action they would take against bullying, how they would be brave in a bullying situation and how they would show compassion for someone being bullied. The students were very eager and more than willing to participate in McClurkin’s lesson.
One of the major issues that schools are currently dealing with is cyber bullying. McClurkin told the students about his “keep scrolling” method.
“The way you really want to be brave is to keep scrolling. Don’t even acknowledge that when somebody is talking about someone else,” said McClurkin.
At the end of McClurkin’s speech, he showed the students some of his basketball tricks, just he promised in the beginning of the assembly. The students watched in awe as McClurkin demonstrated his tricks. He also taught a few students and teachers some tricks that the Harlem Globetrotters perform.
“You never want to underestimate the power of a smile,” said McClurkin.