Education & Youth
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Efforts to Stem Bullying in Schools Begin with Community Building In recent years, patrons have placed much emphasis on bullying and what schools are doing to address bullying issues among students. According to statistics provided at www.stopbullying.gov, a site maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), studies are indicating that while increased awareness and discussion of the issue may make it appear as though the incidences of bullying are on the rise, bullying incidents are actually declining. That said, HHS maintains that bullying is still a prevalent issue and problem in today’s schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Department of Education released the first federal uniform definition of bullying for research and surveillance in 2014. The definition includes unwanted aggressive behavior, observed or perceived power imbalance, and repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition. Bullying can be direct, meaning that it occurs in the presence of the targeted person, or indirect, which includes spreading rumors. The four types of bullying are physical, verbal, damage to property, and relational, which includes efforts to harm the reputation or relationships of the targeted individual. Dr. Brad Welle, Deputy Superintendent, School and Community Services for Grain Valley Schools,
explained the district made significant changes to its anti-bullying efforts in the 2016-17 school year after surveying parents and students. “The changes included new policy language aligned to Missouri's legal definition of bullying, new training for all staff and students annually, and the addition of bullying incident reporting forms on our websites and app. The result has been improved awareness of how to report incidents of bullying and improved support for the victims of bullying. Accountability measures for those who commit bullying have been clarified and supports for students who bully others are also in place to help prevent further offenses,” Welle said. HHS states the majority of bullying occurs at the middle school level. According to one large study published in the School Psychology Review, the following percentages of middle schools students had experienced these various types of bullying: name calling (44.2 %); teasing (43.3 %); spreading rumors or lies (36.3%); pushing or shoving (32.4%); hitting, slapping, or kicking (29.2%); leaving out (28.5%); threatening (27.4%); stealing belongings (27.3%); sexual comments or gestures (23.7%); e-mail or blogging (9.9%). Grain Valley South Middle School Principal Jim Myers, in his 10th year with the district and 3rd year as principal at South, believes community building is a key to minimizing bullying at school.
“Bullying is an issue in our society that gets reflected in our schools. We work hard to help students develop the tools they need to address these issues as they continue through school and out in the real world,” Myers said.
“I’m very proud of the work our staff does. We’re very studentcentered, and focused on what we can do to help them grow, not just on the educational side, but on the social/ emotional side as well.” Jim Myers, Principal Grain Valley South Middle School Each fall staff guide students through a week-long curriculum during SOAR classes developed by district counselors to identify what bullying
Marching Eagles Conclude Season at Bands of America Championships
looks like and what to do if they are a victim. Staff also offers students strategies to deal with a problem if it happens. Additionally, on Fridays during SOAR at South, teachers guide students through a variety of activities to reinforce communication skills, character building, and peer relationships. “One of the challenges middle school students face is understanding the difference between peer conflict and bullying. At this time in life when kids are going through a lot of change, physically, emotionally, and at school, it can be difficult to navigate and understand the difference. If we can get kids to focus on conflict resolution, anxiety around school and peer relationships is going to drop,” Myers said. School Resource Officers are another resource for students, both in terms of addressing issues that may occur and in providing another trusted adult as a mentor. “Officer Dunnell (the school resource officer for South Middle) is very focused on mentoring students who need that support, and that is one of the most powerful things that a school resource officer does. It’s that other adult in the building who has a lot of life experience, who has seen a lot of things, who can give students a perspective that we sometimes can’t,” Myers said. The district utilizes the BIST see BULLYING on page 7
by Bridget Brill, Grain Valley Band Parents Association
The Grain Valley Marching Eagles concluded their competition season this past weekend with a performance at the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional Championships. There were 74 bands from 13 different states. The band placed 3rd in their class during the preliminary performance. Fourteen of those bands advanced on to compete again in finals. The Marching Eagles placed 13th
overall in the final performance of the year. The Marching Eagles Band Parents Association wishes to thank all the wonderful parents who volunteered their time, energy, and love (hospitality, pit, props, uniforms, decorations, event coordinators, drivers), and of course the band and color guard directors, who all worked tirelessly to help make this season such a success for our amazing Marching Eagles.
Grain Valley Marching Eagles placed 13th overall at the Bands of America Championships in St. Louis. Photo credit: Bridget Brill
Band Parents Association Hosts Bingo Night on November 3rd
The Band Parents Association will host a Bingo Night at 8:00pm on Saturday, November 3rd at Sinclair’s Restaurant. in Blue Springs (1402 NW Hwy 7, Blue Springs, MO 64014). It is $20 per person to play 8 games of Bingo. Each game will have a prize for the winner, such as gift cards, gift baskets, etc. The restaurant is family friendly, and will have food and drinks available to purchase. All money raised will go towards the purchase of a new equipment trailer.
