This year, Oran High School started a new program: No MO Bullies. The elementary school principal, Kristy Unger, and counselor, Tammy Gaines, worked closely with the FBLA group to plan a program that would benefit the school. America’s Safe Schools Week is in October, so the group decided to hold the special presentations and activities Oct. 9–15. FBLA members visited the fourth through sixth grades three times each to make presentations and engage students in activities to promote positive character traits. Topics covered included respect, valuing self, empathy, standing up for oneself, cyber bullying, and citizenship. Along with the activities, a word of the day was announced over the intercom and a bulletin board was displayed in the elementary hallway.

Before the activity, a survey was given to students to assess the level of bullying in the school. Most students believed that they were not bullies; even bullying behaviors were not interpreted as bullying, but more as normal every day acceptable behaviors. In the post-surveys, students indicated a better awareness of bullying and acknowledged that they thought more about the way they treated others after the workshops.

“It is important that high school students set the example because there is entirely too much disrespect in the hallways,” said Tonya Skinner, FBLA adviser. “Students don’t even realize when they are treating people poorly because it is so socially acceptable.”

At the conclusion of the project, students pledged to not bully others, and the fourth grade even created a poster to display outside their room. Much hard work was put into the project and the results were a huge success.