Education

Elementary students determined to stop bullying

COURTESY PHOTO |
COURTESY PHOTO | Riverhead School District elementary school students sign their names to an anti-bullying promise poster.

A group of students from Roanoke Avenue and Phillips Avenue elementary schools are volunteering to spend a portion of their recess to learn how they can help rid their schools of bullying.

The anti-bullying student group, called Peacemakers, was created by Roanoke Avenue Elementary School student Morgan Dunn last year, school officials said.

Students are meeting with school social worker Shannon Kutner of the Riverhead Community Awareness Program and discussing the major points of the anti-bullying group’s mission, which are: “speak up,” “don’t be a bystander,” “forgive others,” “accept others for their differences,” “include others,” “seek help if you need it,” and “we can make a difference.”

At the start of this school year, teachers read “The Juice Box Bully” by Bob Sornson to their students and asked them to sign their names to an anti-bullying promise. They were also asked to “speak up if someone needs help,” school officials said.

The students are also planning to take part in The Great Kindness Challenge in January.

For more information about the anti-bullying program, email Ms. Kutner at [email protected].