STOP BULLYING

RIVERVIEW, Mich. -- Bullying is a problem in just about every school in America. However, one group of students in Metro Detroit may have a solution to end the violence.
Students at Riverview High School have formed a group called “Diversity Club.” This group allows students of different backgrounds to be there for each other when bullying takes its toll.
Nicolas Thorton, a senior at Riverview High School and member of the group, feels that the group can act as another friend.
“You should always have someone's back even if there not your best friend,” Thorton said. “You should always have their back because when someone's making fun of you, you're going to want someone there for you.”
The group recently traveled to Huntington Elementary to teach fourth and fifth-graders about standing up for others when they witness someone being bullied. They believe that being an “upstander” is critical in eliminating bullying in schools.
“An upstander is someone who stands up and speaks out for things they believe in and helps other people versus a bystander who just watches something that happens,” Thorton said.
Thorton grew up being bullied, but now he said he wants to educate the younger generation about the effects of bullying and encourage them to break the vicious cycle that continues through out the country.
“I wanted to help kids realize that the things they do now effect the rest of their lives,” said Thorton.
School bullying statistics show that 77 percent of students say they have been bullied mentally, physically and verbally. But now, cyber bullying is on the rise.