11.22.05

Grade 6 students at Sir John A. Macdonald had a visit from Belleville Police Service Constable Aaron Bucci Monday as part of the school’s Anti-Bullying Week activities.

The class, made up of 20 boys and three girls, is the senior class in the school and under the instruction of teacher Jane Sprague, takes a leadership role in helping to prevent bullying at the school.

Sprague told The Community Press that the anti-bullying emphasis supports the school board’s initiative to focus on character education along with numeracy, literacy and healthy active living.

“The Grade Sixes do have added responsibility helping out as Peacemakers,” says Sprague.

As members of the Peacemaker program, the students help out in the schoolyard to prevent and resolve conflicts.

The Peacemaker program is just one aspect of anti-bullying that the students are involved in as part of the health curriculum.

They have also learned about the school’s Code of Conduct and respect and responsibility. Class projects were recently completed in which the students were asked to design “anti-bullying products” and write about them using Microsoft Publisher. Some of the creative product ideas included Anti-Bully (AB) Wheels, shoes with wheels and extra power to get away from bullies and an AB Navigator to help locate bullies so that they can be avoided.

Constable Bucci spent time with the class discussing what bullying is, why it occurs, and ways to prevent and deal with it.

“Younger kids look up to you as role models,” said Bucci. “Be a buddy not a bully.”

Bucci also discussed types of situations students may find themselves in outside of the school environment, especially as they get older and have more independence, and how to handle them. This week students at the school were also being given “Dare to Care” ballots to recognize efforts of people in the community and the neighborhood as part of the anti-bullying week initiative.

– Janet Richards