I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander (St. Thomas V.I.)

A student report:
Today we went to the U.S. Virgin Islands Youth Summet at SugarBay Resort and Spa. There were about 300 5th and 6th graders. We are all from the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education Schools.
We watched BennyDL go live on ATFM radio broadcasting directly from SugarBay Resort. He talked to callers, sang songs and talked about bullying prevention. BennyDL is a DJ but his real name is Bruce Langford.
Later we watched videos & talked about the issues related to bullying. We got into groups with students from other schools. Some of us made up poems and songs about bullying and what to do. Some of us made up role-plays and skits about bullying. Some groups presented to everyone.
We put our ideas together into one pledge we believed in. The pledge we came up with is simple:

Our Stop Bullying Pledge
I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander.
I will lend a helping hand to others to help keep our communities safe.

Students from 7^th to 12^th grade also met and came up with the following vow:

The U.S. Virgin Islands Anti-bullying Vow
We solemnly vow to abolish bullying!
We hereby declare we will use our courage and strength
to not be a bystander,
but instead be a leader, take action and to take a stand.School Speaker

Bruce Langford is an international presenter and anti-bullying advocate   www.brucelangford.ca

6 Safe Strategies to Make Friends Now (and prevent being bullied later)

Here are some great ideas for making friends quickly.

(Good friends can help you through tough situations like bullying)

 

1/ Say ‘hello’ to lots of people even including people you don’t know very well.

2/ Smile at people. It makes them feel warm and fuzzy.

3/ Give compliments to at least three people a day.

4/ Help people out as much as you can. Go ahead, you can think of lots of ways.

5/ Share. That might mean those Choco-Berry treats you just got, or even your gym shorts.

6/ Use good manners. Being polite can make others really feel special.

 

Something as simple as the above proven strategies for making friends can help make sure you avoid being bullied.

Practices the ideas above and you will start to develop great people skills. Who knows, you may even become one of those kids that everybody just wants to hang out with.

 

Stand Up Against Bullying School Assemblies that have lasting effect.

www.standupagainstbullying.com

Stop Bullying Behaviours by Using 3 Powerful Dragon Qualities

Norwich School Students Use Dragon Qualities to Stop Bullying situations. We visited Norwich Public School, home of the dragons on Friday. Dragons

Famous Norwich Public School Dragon

are believed to be strong, sensitive and brave. These are the very attributes needed by a person who will ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’. Bystanders stand by while mean things are said or done. A ‘stand-upper ‘ will use the dragon qualities of strength, sensitivity and bravery to ‘stand up against bullying’. Children should never be expected to deal with these issues alone though. Adults need to be right there to encourage children whenever necessary.  Teachers, administrators, support staff and children can all work together to stand up against bullying and make sure no one suffers because of bullying.

Encourage and model respect and as a result bullying will automatically begin to disappear . You will experience respect at Norwich Public School (Thames Valley District School Board) where we presented ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies. Students from Otterville Public School and North Norwich Public School joined together with the Norwich Public School students to learn ways to show respect. Role-plays, videos and songs all helped children understand how to grow respect.
Be like the dragon; use your strength, sensitivity and bravery to stand up against bullying;
be a ‘stand-upper’ and Stand Up For Respect!

Bruce Langford of ‘Stand Up Now’ Productions will visit your school to present bullying prevention programs. Contact him at 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at www.standupnow.ca

Helping Others Develops Strong Character at Summers Corners School in TVDSB

Bruce Langford at a TVDSB School

Snow, snow and more snow here at Summers Corners Public School near Aylmer, Ontario.

The snow brings us together. It gets us working together, helping each other. We offer to shovel snow for those who need help. We encourage each other to stay safe on the roads. We become a little closer to each other when we offer help to people.

Summers Corners Public School

Today at Summers Corners Public School in Thames Valley District School Board, our message has been to help each other and encourage each other. Be the one person who will have the strength and the courage to stand up against bullying. Be willing to take action and do something. It does take confidence and strength. It requires strong character. Every person can learn to develop their character and take charge. Summers Corners students are those kind of people. They exhibit respect and consideration and that really came through to us during our visit today.

Summers Corners School Sign

We had some student role-plays featuring Summers Corners students that focused on the bystander and how you can become the person who will do something about a situation. Summers Corners Principal, Mr. Don Naylor welcomed the students in all three assemblies and introduced Bruce Langford as the presenter. He talked about building strong character and Mr. Naylor told the students, ‘don’t be a bystander, be an upstander’.

Remember that quote! And remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ at your school.

School Assemblies by Bruce Langford of ‘Stand Up Now Productions’
www.standupnow.ca

A Bully of a Storm Hammers Southern Ontario Closing Thousands of Schools

Finch Avenue Public School Sign

Sometimes storms strike with no apparent reason. The same thing can be true with bullying. A bullying incident can happen suddenly taking everyone by surprise. Maybe it was triggered by anger, jealousy or resentment. Maybe someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe someone had a bad day.
Just like a snow storm, bullying can catch us off guard and cause a lot of disruptions, inconveniences and upset.

Finch Avenue Public School Building, Toronto

There is one major difference though. We can learn to end bullying. We can council our children and teach bystanders how to change the direction of bullying incidents. Do this by changing the subject, moving to another location, or just speaking up in a confident way with a non-confrontational request to leave the person alone.
Today at Finch Avenue Public School in Toronto, the students were completely captured with the ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ presentations. They learned how bystanders can make a difference. They joined in with the songs and were totally tuned in to a music video called ‘The Wall’.
We can’t change a snow storm, but we can reduce bullying. Remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’. Contact Bruce Langford to book assemblies with DJ Benny DL at your school: www.standupagainstbullying.com

Bullying Prevention Assemblies with Religious Faith Content in Dufferin Peel Catholic Schools

Virtues at St. Andrew School

Empathy, conscience, hope, respect, acceptance, kindness, self-control and fairness are all virtues honoured at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orangeville Ontario. We presented our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies at the school yesterday and were wowed by the amazing reception from students, staff and administration. It was our second visit, after presenting ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ during our last visit hosted by Mr. Gregory Krar.

This time, the students were just as respectful and showed even more excitement, since most of them

Mrs. Hageman's Display Case

remembered us from our last visit. We put a lot of effort into the rehearsal of the role-plays with pre-selected students from St. Andrew. The volunteer students who did the acting were just excellent at their parts and really made a strong statement with the audiences.

Mrs. Hageman is the teacher-librarian at the school. She arranged all the details of our visit

The Stand Up Against Bullying Vow

and was a very gracious hostess representing St. Andrew. She watched all three assemblies and was most appreciative of what she saw.

Principal, Mrs. Cindy Young, described the assemblies with great enthusiasm: “Each assembly was right on the mark! You hit on all the important aspects of what we want our St. Andrew students to live by. I really liked how you changed your assemblies for each age group!”

St. Andrew Banner

(Mrs. Cindy Young, Principal at St. Andrew Catholic School)

This school has left a very powerful impression! The students were genuine in their appreciation of the topic. They want to be positive role models and do their part to reduce bullying. The staff was supportive and on board with the topic. We will remember our day at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orangeville (Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board DPCDSB) for a long time!

St. Andrew School Painting on Ceramic

How friends can reduce cyber-bullying at Howard Public School, Toronto

Students at Howard Public School in Toronto have their own ideas about how to stand up against bullying. They believe that their friends can help them and that people should stand by their friends. We talked about ways that people can support each other and how you sometimes need to talk with a teacher, a parent or another trusted adult. We saw a role-play about how bystanders can help. We talked about a video that encouraged empathy.

Howard Public School Outdoor Mosaic Mural

Principal, Mrs. Rosanna Sardella spoke highly of our ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies and said she would encourage other schools to host the assemblies.
Bruce Langford’s school assemblies are available for students from kindergarten to grade 8. www.standupagainstbullying.com

Remember, friends can stand up for each other. That can help reduce bullying!

Student Bystanders Show Assembly Audience How to Stand Up Against Bullying

We spent the day today with the students at Redstone Public School in Greater Toronto (Richmond Hill). We talked about the character trait of the month, which for January is optimism. We talked about bullying, the bystander, and how to deal with real-life bullying situations. The students learned by watching scenarios acted out by grade 7 and 8 students. We watched videos and listened to music. The students clapped and cheered at appropriate times and then later were silent when someone was left out of a game during a role-play. The students had empathy for that one person not picked for the team.

Obviously, the teachers and students care about the right things at Redstone School. They care about treating each other with respect and dignity. The Redstone Creed is called their Touchstone. Read it here. What do you think?

 The Redstone Public School Touchstone
At Redstone Public School, we respect ourselves, others and our environment. We are responsible for what we say and what we do. We speak up for ourselves, and others and and we include everyone in all activities.
We treat all people equally and we help others without being asked. We never give up, no matter how difficult the task. At Redstone, everything is possible.
Optimism Quotes:
Optimism is the tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view.
Oxford English Dictionary

 The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.
Unknown

What seems to us as bitter trials, are often blessings in disguise.
Oscar Wilde

 A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill

 Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
Helen Keller

Redstone Public School Building

School Respect Assemblies in Waterloo Region by Presenter Bruce Langford

Stand Up For Respect was the theme of the day at Waterloo school, N.A. MacEachern Public School (WRDSB).

Students shared their ideas on how the world can be a more respectful place.  One student said, “If only people would just remember to be nice to each other all the time”. Another spoke about the importance of manners. Yet another reminded the audience to be optimistic, and how optimism can help keep people positive.

Students said they liked the song ‘Confidence ‘ and wanted to know if they could download it on itunes. They said they loved the role-plays acted out by their peers.  

Ms. Maedith Radlein, Principal of MacEachern, told us she was very pleased with the assemblies and liked how each assembly was designed for that age group. She liked the discussion format with the grade 7 & 8 students.  “I will definitely be a reference for your Stand Up Now programs,” she told us.

Cyber-bullying & Cyber-safety Workshops for Elementary Students get high marks

St. Benedict Catholic School, Orangeville (Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board) welcomed Bruce Langford, of Stand Up Now Productions.
Principal, Mr. Gregory Krar was very pleased with the ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assemblies. “These assemblies were exactly what we wanted for our students. Bruce Langford made the topic of cyberbullying interesting and entertaining for our students. The videos and role-plays made the messages easy to understand.” Mr. Krar was just as pleased with the Stand Up Now workshops when they were presented at his last school, St. Andrew Catholic School in Orangeville.

Students got involved in the dialogue, with one student warning others about the potential dangers of web cams. He explained how your computer can be hacked and the hacker can actually see what your web cam is seeing.
One student said she would use the tip about including numbers or symbols in passwords.
We were impressed with the students at St. Benedict. They really took this topic of cyberbullying and cyber-safety seriously. They interacted positively and were respectful audiences.

‘Be Kind On-Line’ Beat Cyberbullying Song

Here is a song we put together to help people learn how to beat cyberbullying and stay safe online. It is called:

“Be Kind On-Line” and the music & lyrics are by Bruce Langford. The song is copyright 2008. The words are below.

1. Online chatting, text messages and e-mails

This is how we check on social details

Try to be friendly, don’t put people down

This is my advice – now spread it around.

Be kind, online.

 

2. Words you use on line are not as private as you think

Stuff that you sent can be found out in a wink

Screens can be printed, captured or saved

You could get in trouble for the way you behaved.

Be kind, online.

 

3. If you show true respect for other people online

You’re showing how we all should be all the time

It’s likely that your friends will start doing it too

‘Cause you’ll set an example of what people should do.

Be kind, online.

 

4. You likely will become the person people respect

Never really knowing how many you effect

Just ‘cause you made up your mind to be fair

You’re helping kids here, there and everywhere.

Be kind, online.

Just try to be kind on-line.

Weekly Character Education Pays off in Waterloo Region School

Students at Edna Staebler Public School in Waterloo (Waterloo Region District School Board) believe in the value of Character Education. We visited the school yesterday, and were greeted warmly by the students and staff. Principal, Mr. Jeffery Parliament told us that the students have been receiving weekly character education lessons from a staff member. We could tell.

Edna Staebler Picture at Edna Staebler School

“Treat others how you want to be treated,” was a comment that came from a student early on in one of the assemblies. We talked about empathy, and about doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
“Being honest and caring can help build stronger friendships”, a grade 7 student remarked.
We talked about being careful on-line and making the right choices about on-line activities.
A student role-play made it crystal-clear that a bystander can become a person who can definitely make a difference in a given situation.

Author Edna Staebler with her cats

Mr. Parliament said he felt the assemblies were well done and liked how we changed the assemblies to be appropriate for each division.
“Our character education classes have been some of our most important classes”, a grade 8 girl told me after the intermediate assembly.
I thought about how good it feels to be in a school where character education is taken seriously by students and staff!

Flags in the lobby of Edna Staebler School

The ‘Stand Up For Respect’ Character Ed assemblies by Stand Up Now Productions all feature video, music and student role-play as well as teacher follow-up materials.
Visit www.standupforrespect.ca

Catholic Faith School Assemblies Promote Respect – Respect Stamps Out Bullying

The fact that increased respect can reduce bullying was emphasized at St. David Catholic School in Maple yesterday as speaker/presenter Bruce Langford delivered three Character Assemblies called ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

St. David in Foyer

Respect is a way of life at St. David Catholic School in Maple. (York Catholic District School Board YCDSB)
Principal Ms. Angel Hayes and Vice-Principal Mr. Peter Morone encourage respectful behaviour on a daily basis at St. David School. Teachers are looked up to and older students understand they are role models for the younger children.

Respect Tip # 1: Treat people right even when no one is looking.
Some people think respect just means appearing respectful or looking and acting respectful. The truth is, respect even relates to your innermost thoughts.  People who only act appropriately when they think someone that matters is watching, are missing the point.

Respect Tip # 2: Choose positive thoughts and you will grow respect.
We can all control our thoughts. Keep your thoughts respectful and your character will start to blossom. Eliminate profanity, put-downs and nasty comments from your thoughts and lips. This will help you to be a more respectful person.

These above ideas are part of our philosophy and part of what we shared in our character building assemblies at St. David Catholic School yesterday. Principal Ms. Angel Hayes and VP Mr. Peter Morone both readily agreed to be references for the ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies letting us know they had received great feedback from staff and students.

To arrange assemblies for your school, visit our website at www.standupagainstbullying.com or call 1-800-901-8831

A tip to build solid friendships in Dufferin Peel Catholic Schools

Tip: You can build more friendships if you are always honest with people. Honesty is a very important part of friendships that is sometimes overlooked. What might seem like the smallest lie can still hurt a friendship in a big way. Even if no one ever finds out about the lie, it is still a lie. It is a dishonest part of you that lives inside you. Start today. Make up your mind to stick to the truth. Be committed to integrity and don’t stray from being completely truthful.
The above friendship and respect tip was included as part of our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ presentations today at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School in Mississauga  (DPCDSB). We met many students at St. Elizabeth Seton who obviously are committed to being respectful people. Students thought about the many aspects of respect as they watched role-plays and videos about the topic. Teachers and students told us that the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies helped kids understand how even one person can make a big difference when they make a choice on the side of respect. Just remember, Stand Up For Respect in your daily life and do your best to be honest.
Bruce Langford presents programs on respect, bullying and cybersafety in school boards across Ontario. The ‘Stand Up Now’ website is www.standupnow.ca

Ottawa students stamp out bullying at Farley Mowat School (OCDSB)

Farley Mowat Public School in Ottawa is a place where we met passionate students who are totally set to stamp out bullying. Here are some of their comments:
“Thanks for helping us learn more about bullying and how to STOP it. We can STOP it!”
Grade 4 student

“Awesome show – really enjoyed the music video and the songs. It helped me understand what I can do.”
Grade 5 student

“The play was really good. This would make a bully think, why would I do this. And it would help reduce bullying for sure.”
Grade 5 student

 

Famous Farley Mowat School Wolf Mascot

“It will help people realize how a bullied person would feel.”
Gr 4 student

Princpal, Ms. Judy-Anne Brush complimented the program and Vice-Principal, Ms. Anna Lyall said she would definitely recommend the ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies to other schools.
To arrange to have Bruce Langford present assemblies at your school, call 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at www.standupnow.ca

Farley Mowat

Students at Farley Mowat Public School, Ottawa (OCDSB) are determined to:

* Speak Up when they see bullying behaviour.

* Be positive role-models around the school and community

* Use positive language that will stop bullies in their tracks

* Ignore people who say bullying will always exist

These students are an inspiration!

Pink Shirt Stop Bullying Day at Alloa School in Brampton

Stand Up Against Bullying Day at Alloa School

It was a sea of pink at Alloa Public School in Brampton today as Bruce Langford presented Stand Up Against Bullying Assemblies to the students. Pink shirts, pink bracelets, pink hair, pink socks, pink sweaters hats and pants all helped get the point across to Stand Up Against Bullying.  Role-plays about how bystanders can change to make a difference helped the students realize that even ONE PERSON can help to reduce bullying. That ONE PERSON can be YOU. Principal, Mrs. Margret Lane is passionate about helping all Alloa students understand how to deal with bullying and how to help stop it. Yes, ONE PERSON CAN help reduce bullying and that ONE PERSON can be YOU!
Contact Bruce Langford of Stand Up Now Productions to present assemblies at your school on bullying, respect or cyberbullying. 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at www.standupnow.ca

York Region Bullying Bullying Awareness & Prevention Week

Poplar Bank Public School students and staff were totally on board with their determination to conquer bullying on Friday. Teacher/Presenter, Bruce Langford offered three different assemblies to the students with videos, songs and role-plays by Poplar Bank’s own students. Vice-Principal Jennifer Diceman expressed her satisfaction with all that she saw and heard in the assemblies.
“Speak up, tell an adult”, one student said when commenting about bullying. Another talked about helping her friend in a bullying situation. “We can all make a difference, if we really try!”, claimed one grade 7 student. Many students were extra pumped because they remembered DJ Benny DL from a previous visit last year when they remembered the ’Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ assembly. “Will you sing that same song about passwords again?” one student asked before the show. 

Poplar Bank Bell

We learned a little history about Poplar Bank as well. The original Poplar Bank School was built of logs and was located at Yonge Street and Poplar Bank Sideroad. It was replaced in 1862 and used until 1965.  Poplar Bank

Old Poplar Bank School Building

has some of it’s history on display including the bell from the old school house.
Contact Bruce Langford at ‘Stand Up Now Productions’ 1-800-901-8831 to book assemblies for your school.

Building respect assembly in Waterloo Region District Schools

Building a better world, one student at a time.
This is the slogan at New Dundee Public School near Kitchener, Ontario.
These students really understand RESPECT. They work on these things every day:

1. Friendly language
   

   New Dundee Dragon

2. Including others
3. Cooperation
4. Helping each other
5. Being polite

New Dundee Principal, Mrs. Debbie Scholl makes sure the students are thinking about respect. She has made sure the walls are covered with positive messages and character-building reminders. See for yourself. Even the New Dundee Dragon mascot is a respectful fellow! Here are just a few of the positive messages we saw here at New Dundee Public School.

Mrs. Scholl was totally enthusiastic about the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies.
“You really made respect come alive to our children!”, she exclaimed. “We were completely delighted!”
Mrs. Deb Scholl, Principal, New Dundee Public School

Cyberbullying taken seriously at Coledale School where meanness is not tolerated

Cyberbullying Program at Coledale Public School

The 7 steps to Cyber-safety were talked about and taken seriously by students and staff at Coledale Public School in Toronto (Markham) on Friday.

Step # 4: Never meet people you have met on the web.

The above cyber-safety/internet tip was highlighted in a role-play where two girls arranged to meet someone at the mall. This was no stranger. After all, one of the girls had been chatting on-line with ‘Georgina’ for three months. Suddenly she was in town for a swim meet and offered to meet in the food court at the local mall. Gasps could be heard from the audience when it turned out ‘Georgina’ was not a 13 year old girl at all, but in fact a 43 year old man.
Police became involved and the potential victims were protected from the close call.

Following the assembly, we talked personally with some staff members who commented:
“The role-plays really drove home the points about misrepresentation on the internet and I loved your songs as well. We were very pleased with the Stand Up Now assemblies at Coledale!”
Donna McGann, Principal, Coledale Public School, Markham Ontario, York Region District School Board

“Bruce Langford tapped into the multiple intelligences with his dynamic, clear, engaging way of reaching the audience. This was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen at all the schools I’ve been at!”
Karen Monteith, Teacher, Coledale Public School, Markham Ontario.

Bruce Langford of Stand Up Now Productions can be contacted at 1-800-901-8831 or through the website at http://www.standupnow.ca

3 Tips to Help Build Positive School Communities

Dougall Avenue Public School in Windsor is diligent about building positive communities. I’m sure the Greater Essex County District School Board is proud of the work that is being done at Dougall to grow respect and build an even more positive community. As part of Stand Up Now Productions, we were honoured to be part of the initiative at Dougall today, to teach and encourage students and staff to ‘Stand Up For Respect’ through three interactive assemblies.

Dougall Avenue Public School, Windsor On

If you want to help build your own positive community, just follow the lead of Dougall Public School and Principal Clayton Callow.
1. Diversity – Embrace the differences of the people you meet on a daily basis. Being open to the rich diversity of our people is a truly rewarding experience. Over 50 nations are represented at Dougall Avenue Public School.
2. Diligence – apply a constant and earnest effort in order to accomplish your goal of building a stronger and more vital community. Don’t let up!
3. Determination – Keep your focus in constant sight and stay on course with genuine effort.

As visitors today, it was apparent to us that students and staff take community building seriously.
Principal Clayton Callow said he was pleased with the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies and Child and Youth Worker, Noelle Papak was also very appreciative:
“All three assemblies were excellent. The students loved the set-up, the music and the DJ. The intermediate assembly really met the needs of our staff and students at Dougall. Bruce did a great job of giving our grade 7’s & 8’s a chance to speak and be heard in a diplomatic way!” (Noelle Papak, CYW, Dougall Ave PS)

For more information on ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies, contact Bruce Langford at 1-800-901-8831 or visit the website at http://www.standupnow.ca