Senior graduation project

Bullying & Harassment In SchoolsBy Meghan Theisen

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“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

ThesisBullying and Harassment is an increasing issue in schools nationwide, physical, mental, verbal, and cyber bullying are all equally unacceptable and dreadful. Through my research, I plan to raise awareness, stop bullying, and provide aid to those who have fallen victims of bullying.

Personal Relevance

I decided to do this project because I’ve been in the situation where I’ve been teased and made fun of. I’ve

also been in the situation where I felt like suicide was the only way out of a

rough situation. Seeing the recent suicides, especially among gay students, sparked an anger and

concern within me. I want to leave my footprint in someway shape or form.

What is Bullying?

• An aggressive behavior that involves unwanted negative actions

• Involves a pattern of behavior over a repeated time

• Involves an imbalance of power or strength

Why Do People Bully?• To show they are

in charge

• They’re insecure with themselves

• They’re victims of bullying or had once been a victim of bullying

• Jealously

Statistic

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Between 15% & 30% of students are bullies or victims of bullying

3.7 million youths engage in & 3.2 million are victims of moderate or serious bullying each year

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77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally and physically

8% of students say they missed 1 day of class a month for fear of bullies

87% of teenagers said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them”

39% of middle school students &

36% of high school students say they don’t feel safe at school

The Types of Bullying

School Bullying…

Two Different Types

Pack Bullying

Individual Bullying

Other Types of

Bullying

Physical Bullying

• Form of physical abuse; hitting, pushing, tripping, slapping, or spitting

• More common among males

Emotional or Verbal Bullying

• Verbal bullying is just as harmful as physical bullying

• More common among females

Cyber Bullying

• Cyber bullying is when someone is harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, threatened or tormented using technology

• Text messages and cell phones are also used to harass a victim

• Cyber bullying like any other type of bullying is an attempt to make someone feel about him or herself

Text Bullying

9 out 10 teens have a cell phones

50% of teens with cell phones talk to friends daily

54% send text messages daily

27% use their phone to go online

40% of all teenagers with Internet access have reported being bullied while online

Only 15% of parents are “in the know” about their kids social networking habits

93% of teens 12-17 go online

63% of teens go online daily

73% of teens use an online social networking site

42% of kids have been bullied while online

1 in 4 have had it happen more than once

35% of kids have been threatened online

1 in 5 have had it happen more than once

Bullying Stories in Upper Merion

Suicide

11th leading cause of death in the United States

8th leading cause of death for males

19th leading cause of death for females

Bullying and Suicide

Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide then non-victims

“Bullycide”

April HimesApril 27th, 1986- February 14th, 2000

• Enjoyed painting, singing, choir, gardening and spending time with her family and friends

• She missed 53 school days because of bullying

• She was called fat, ugly, and physically bullied daily

Kristina CalcoDecember 26th, 1989- December 4th, 20051

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• A 4.0 honor student who always strived for perfection

• She was very artistic

• Was part of the yearbook, newspaper, and broadcasting staff

• She played on the volleyball, swimming, and track teams

• Was constantly tormented and called ugly

Nicholas Kelo Jr. October 1st, 1997-February 23rd, 2011

• Had a second degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do

• Also held a red belt in Kumdo

• Loved inventing

• Played football in middle school

• Traded the sport for band in high school

• Taunted because “obviously someone who preferred to play a tenor sax rather then tossing a football is obviously gay”

The White House Fights Back

• President Obama and Michelle Obama held a conference on bullying prevention on March 10th , 2011

• Calling parents, teachers, students, and communities to address the problem together

• Congress introduced several LGBT-inclusive bills addressing bullying and harassment of students

Just Some of the Steps Our Government is Taking…

• Safe Schools Improvement Act

• The Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act

• Student Nondiscrimination Act

• Seth’s Law

School Shootings Caused by Bullying

The Downfall of Seung-Hui Cho

On Monday April 16th 2007 he killed 32 people and wounded 25 people in the Virginia Tech

Massacre

• Born in South Korea

• Came home from school in the 1st grade crying throwing tantrums because he didn’t want to go

• Moved to America in the 2nd grade

• Diagnosed with an anxiety disorder which inhibited him from speaking

• Throughout high school he was teased for his shyness and inability to talk

• Was always alone

• They would tell him to “Go back to China”

• In 1999 after the Columbine massacre he was transfixed by the event

• He wrote on his binder “F you all I hope you all burn in hell.”

• In a school assignment he wrote that he wanted to “repeat Columbine”

In College…• Poet professor Nick Giovanni removed him from her class 6 weeks into the

semester • He intimidated female students by photographing their legs underneath the desk

• He wrote obscene and violent poetry

• Always wore sunglasses; even indoors

• Described as awkward, lonely and insecure

• He wouldn’t respond to someone if he was greeted

• He was involved in 3 different stalking incidents

The Morning of the Shooting

• He mailed a manifesto to NBC at 9:01 am the day of the shooting

• Contained 43 images of him with the weapons

• Contained 27 video clips of angry rants

The Victims

Ross Abdallah Alameddine Jamie Bishop

Brian Bluhm

Ryan Clark

Austin Cloyd Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Daniel Perez Cueva Kevin Granata Matthew Gwaltney

Caitlin Hammaran Jeremy Herbstritt Rachael Hill

Emily Hilscher Jarrett Lane Matt La Porte Henry Lee

Liviu Librescu G.V. Loganathan Partahi LumbantoruanLauren Ashley McCain

Dan O’Neil Juan Ortiz Minal Panchal Erin PetersonMichael Steven Pohl Jr

Julia PrydeMary Karen ReadReema SamahWaleed ShaalanLeslie Sherman

Maxine Turner Nicole Regina White

The Anti-Bullying Project is dedicated to informing students about bullying, the effects bullying has on our student population, and what we can do to stop bullying before it’s too late.

APPLICATION

APPLICATION

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Behind the Scenes

The Dream Team

The Anti-Bullying ProjectMy Application

Class Activity

Time to say some nice things about each other

Citations"April Clinton - Bullycide, Suicide." Bullying Depression - Suicide - Jared's Story. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.jaredstory.com/april_c.html>. Brock, Kathy. "Text Bullying

"School Bullying - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics - Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/school-bullying.html>.

Brock, Kathy. "Text Bullying - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics - Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/text-bullying.html>.

"Seung-Hui Cho." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Mar. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung-Hui_Cho>.

Sides, Rochelle. "Corinne's Story." Bullying - Depression - Suicide - Jared's Story. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.jaredstory.com/corinnesstory.html>.

"Bullying and Suicide - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics -Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html>.

Calco, Michelle. "Kristina Calco's Story." Bullying - Depression - Suicide - Jared's Story. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.jaredstory.com/kristina.html>.

Caruso, Kevin. "Ryan Patrick Halligan Suicide Memorial - Suicide.org! Ryan Patrick Halligan Suicide Memorial - Suicide.org! Ryan Patrick Halligan Suicide Memorial - Suicide.org!" Suicide.org: Suicide Prevention, Suicide Awareness, Suicide Support - Suicide.org! Suicide.org! Suicide.org! Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.suicide.org/memorials/ryan-patrick-halligan.html>.

"Physical Bullying - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics - Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/physical-bullying.html>.

Rudolph, Dana. "White House Calls for Coordinated Efforts to Combat Bullying – LGBTQ Nation." LGBTQ Nation – News, Opinions, Arts and Culture – The Nation’s LGBTQ Blog. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/03/white-house-calls-for-coordinated-efforts-to-combat-bullying/>.

Sandra. "Bullying Statistics." Dreamcatchers For Abused Children. 5th Nov. 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://dreamcatchersforabusedchildren.com/2010/11/bullying-statistics/>.

Cohn, Andrea, and Andrea Canter. "Bullying: Facts and Statistics For Parents." NASP Resources. National Association of School Psychologists, 7th Oct. 2003. Web. Feb.-Mar. 2011.

"Cyber Bullying - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics - Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/cyber-bullying.html>.

"Cyber Bullying; Statistics and Tips." I-SAFE Inc. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.isafe.org/channels/sub.php?ch=op>.

Klein, Jessie. "Jessie Klein: Bully Rage: Common School-Shooter Misery." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. 22 Apr. 2007. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessie-klein/bully-rage-common-schools_b_46548.html>.

"Kristina Calco." The Shabby Castle. 2005. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.theshabbycastle.com/kristinacalco>.

Kroll, Kathy. "Bullying Statistics." Pascack Valley Regional High School District. 24th Apr. 2001. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pascack.k12.nj.us/70271919141818/lib/70271919141818/Bullying_Statistics.htm>.

Olweus, Dan. "What Is Bullying? Definition, Statistics & Information on Bullying." Olweus Bullying Prevention Program from Hazelden & Clemson University. 2001. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.olweus.org/public/bullying.page>.

"Dealing With Bullies." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/bullies.html>.

Heron, Liz, and Nelson Hsu. "Va. Tech Shooting: The Sequence of Events (washingtonpost.com)." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 2006. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/interactives/vatechshootings/shootings_timeline.html>.

Hone-McMahan, Kim. "Ohio.com - Rittman Boy May Have Died Because of Bullying." Ohio.com - Www.ohio.com. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/117770373.html>.

Hsu, Nelson, and Liz Heron. "Va. Tech Shooting: The Sequence of Events (washingtonpost.com)." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 2006. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/interactives/vatechshootings/shootings_timeline.html>.

"Teen Suicide Statistics Adolescent Teenage Suicide Prevention." Troubled Teen Help Military Boarding Schools. 2001. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.familyfirstaid.org/suicide.html>.

"Verbal Bullying - Bullying Statistics." Bullying Statistics - Teen Violence, Anger, Bullying, Treatment Options. 2009. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/verbal-bullying.html>.

"Why Do People Bully." Why Guides. Why Guides. Web. Feb.-Mar. 2011. Willard, Nancy. "Tips to Stop Cyberbullying | SafeTeens.com." Internet Safety for Teens | SafeTeens.com. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.safeteens.com/tips-to-stop-cyberbullying>.

Windrem, Robert. "NBC: Va. Tech Killer's Strange âmanifestoâ - US News - Crime & Courts - �� ��Massacre at Virginia Tech - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. 19 Apr. 2007. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18187368/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Windrem, Robert. "NBC: Va. Tech Killer's Strange âmanifestoâ - US News - Crime & Courts - �� ��Massacre at Virginia Tech - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. 19 Apr. 2007. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18187368/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/>.

"Youth Violence Project." Youth Violence Project. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. <http://youthviolence.edschool.virginia.edu>.

Conclusion

I’ve not only learned about bullying, and the long term effects of bullying…but I’ve also learned a lot about myself and the person I want to be

“We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different

people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different

hopes, different dreams.”

-Jimmy Carter