St. Louis schools are empowering students to deal with bullying

Across St. Louis, schools are finding new ways to curb bullying. As with many obstacles, surmounting it often requires first defining the issue.

“Bullying has become a buzzword,” says Terry Harris, executive director of student services for the Rockwood School District. “I think laypeople call things bullying that don’t necessarily fit the definition.” Bullying is aggressive behavior that is targeted and repeated; in other words, not every conflict might be considered bullying.

What’s key is creating a space where conflicts are handled quickly and students feel safe. For Harris, that meant creating the RSD anti-bullying program, which teaches middle-schoolers three steps for intervening:  Recognize when bullying is occurring, stop it, and then describe the incident. Often the most challenging part is confronting the bullying directly. “We say to be confident and know that you’re doing the right thing,” says Harris, “but there’s no need to call out or embarrass the other person.”

1. Recognize when bullying is occurring.

2. Stop it.

3. Describe it as you report the incident to a school administrator.

Kids learn two methods: echo, encouraging others to agree that bullying needs to stop; and educate, saying something like “That’s not nice. That’s bullying.” Nico Grassi, a member of the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors at Wildwood Middle School, has seen the conflict resolution skills work firsthand: “It’s a humane way to stop the bullying and end the situation.”

After training during a full-day retreat, the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors take the information back to their schools so they can train their peers and take what they’ve learned into elementary schools. “In middle school, things can get really tough,” says Lily Smith, an eighth-grader at Wildwood Middle School who’s also a member of the RSD Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. “If elementary students know what to do before they get here, it can help.”

At Chaminade College Preparatory School, middle school counselors Jack Twellman and Laura Griese are leaning into social media. The school’s Good Stuff Crew, a group of students who promote kindness, has an Instagram account that recognizes students for their positive contributions.

At Busch Middle School, in St. Louis Hills, principal Rob Lescher emphasizes character education. At Busch, recognized as a National School of Character in 2016, five core values—respect, responsibility, self-control, honesty, and determination—are emphasized. In the morning, for instance, students meet for a Character Connection, a multi–grade level gathering often centered on a specific theme, such as chess or drama. There’s also an emphasis on service, and students are encouraged to help their classmates and to be kind to one another. “It puts people first,” Lescher says.