Students working to keep bullying out of their school - East Oregonian: News

Students working to keep bullying out of their school - East Oregonian: News
By SAMANTHA TIPLER East Oregonian | 0 comments
Students in Pilot Rock are working to change the culture of their school.
“Bullying is not needed in our school at all,” said Joey GrosJacques.
As GrosJacques sees it, Pilot Rock’s junior and senior high schools are small. That should mean everyone is closer and friendlier, but that hasn’t always been the case.
Last March the school took a devastating blow when teacher Kevin Nice was arrested for sex crimes in March. In October, he pleaded guilty to six charges. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
His victims had been students at Pilot Rock.
In the aftermath, some students were bullying the victims.
“Kids were telling me, ‘We’ve got nobody to turn to. We don’t know who we can trust. We don’t feel supported in any way by the school,’” said Jean Guidry, a school psychologist with the Umatilla-Morrow Education Service District. “That doesn’t mean there was not support, it was just their perception.”
Guidry said she saw an “undercurrent” forming where bullying was becoming the norm.
Students saw it happening and didn’t like it.
“Bullying isn’t real prevalent at our school, but it does happen,” said Amy Lee Perrine. “Nobody needs to be bullied.”
“It’s just sad to think people are getting bullied,” said Taryn Ostrom. “I’ve been bullied. I don’t like it. I don’t want to let others get bullied.”
Ostrom, Perrine, GrosJacques and other students agreed. They decided to put a stop to it.
They formed a group called “Project Zero.” The name refers to a zero-tolerance for bullying, GrosJacques said.
Guidry was drafted into the role of helping the group of students get started at the beginning of the school year.
Guidry said she’s been amazed at how the community has come together to support the students.
“They talked to the mayor and the chief of police. They went to the booster club, the education foundation in Pilot Rock and all different groups,” she said. “They said, ‘Yeah, we want your school to be a safe place for you. What do you want from us?’”
...
==========
Unite and make a difference.