East High event aims to spread awareness, stop bullying

By AMANDA TONOLI

atonoli@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

“Bully free zone” and “No bullying allowed” were written on colored shirts for an anti-bullying event at East High School.

The event during Thursday’s lunch period, hosted by East High School’s Destination Imagination team, was dedicated to spreading awareness about bullying and stopping it.

Other red, yellow, blue, orange, pink and green shirts read “Let’s love more,” “Stop bullying,” and “Anti-bullying, live 4 peace.”

Jeanne Constantino, advisor of the Destination Imagination group at East High, said students from the lunch period got to come up to the tables of shirts and craft their own anti-bullying message.

That message is to be worn to school today for Bullying Prevention Day.

“It’s nice because it’s getting students involved,” Constantino said.

Darimar Miranda, a sophomore student, agreed with Constantino.

“The most important part is getting the students to come together,” she said.

Selina Cotton, advanced placement literature and composition class teacher, said it’s nice to have so many different types of students involved.

“It’s the mix of kids that helps embrace the message a little more,” she said. “It makes other people who are maybe not so confident to stand up and stop bullying or speak out about it. It bridges the gap and really breaks down barriers.”

Jalaysha Crawford, a freshman, said the event helps everyone come together about bullying.

Senior Jade Frazier said it’s good to be able to spread the awareness through all of the students involved.

“It might give kids who are being bullied the courage to come forward,” she said.

Destiny Merriwether, a senior who created a shirt that said “Be a friend, not a bully,” said simply: “I don’t think it’s fun to bully at all.”

Santajah Douglass, junior, said she thinks the anti-bullying efforts are making a difference.

“For young people to stand out in a crowd like this – that means a big thing,” she said.

The anti-bullying message has been the theme of East’s Destination Imagination teams for the last several years because bullying is a problem facing many young people, explained Constantino.

All of those anti-bullying materials will be submitted as part of the team’s entry in the Project Outreach contest at the DI regional tournament March 16 at Youngstown State University. The team also will present a skit as part of its tournament entry.

The state tournament is in late March and the global finals event is May 22-25 in Kansas City, Mo. East has sent a team to global finals for the last several years.