Sand Springs High School students teach first graders some anti-bullying skills

Thursday, April 21st 2005, 10:06 am

By: News On 6

Some Sand Springs High School students, sick of bullying, decided to take matters into their own hands. Not with violence, but with a special program they designed themselves to reach younger kids before it's too late.

The News on 6's Heather Lewin says it is something many have witnessed. This time, watching role playing from older kids, some Sand Springs first graders got to see both sides of being a bully.

"Sometimes kids get bullied and teased and they feel hurt and the only way they can get rid of that hurt is to tease someone else."

1st grader Hannah Parnell: â€œI learned to not be a bully."

1st grader Hunter Luker: "They're very mean."

It's a new program, designed by some Sand Springs High School freshmen, based on their own experiences with bullying and what they saw cropping up in younger kids. The students researched the issue and came up with their own lesson plans, then spent the day connecting with first and second graders.

High school freshman James Garner: "It's a great time to come with little kids and to start getting them, to teach them to be nice now instead of having more bullies when they get to high school and it kind of cuts down on the violence in school."

High School teacher Heidi Blackmon: "A lot of people are quick to judge when they hear you teach freshmen they're like oooh. But you know they're really a sensitive group of kids and they're compassionate and I think having them teach the lessons rather than it coming from their teacher shows that kids care about kids."

High school freshman Kiera Hines: "Because we're closer to the age, to their age, probably in their eyes we'd be better role models and stuff like that. I just love spending time with the kids."

This is the first year of the program. The freshmen Leadership Class came up with the idea after watching tapes of Dr. Phil on the issue of bullying nationwide.