Bullying happens in schools all over the world. A group of students at FFHS have decided to take matters into their own hands to stop a problem that hits close to home  with the new Anti-Bullying Club (ABC).

Approximately 77 percent of all students are bullied sometime in their school career according to BullyingStatistics.org. Given this high statistic, the members in ABC have their own stories to tell on what motivates them to stop bullying.

“We can all say that we have been bullied, whether we want to admit it or not,” ABC Co-President Sam Tronolone said. “As a child I was diagnosed with learning disability and was seen as a very poor reader. Because of that I was ostracized by teachers and students. No one deserves that type of treatment just because they are considered ‘different’.”

A bully is defined as an overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people according to Dictionary.Reference.com. This is not always the case and can often be much more personal. 14 percent of students who are bullied have a severe reaction to the abuse, according to BullyinStatistics.org.

“Kids need to realize they are not alone,” ABC Co-President Murphy Grant said. “No matter how much a person thinks no one understands I can promise that somebody does understand. I hope they realize that bullying has life changing effects and it will take a constant group effort to put an end to it.”

Members of ABC want their club to be unique and want to connect with students on a personal level.

“One of the main things I wanted this club to be was unique from the other generic anti bully campaigns students have been told throughout their school career,” Tronolone said. “We are not there to just shout statistic and facts. We there to show support for those who are victims of bullying. We are there to share our stories and show that this behavior will not be tolerated in our schools anymore.”

Members of ABC want to be there for anyone who needs help.

“Hopefully our club can change FFHS by just being there, being a constant source of help for students in need,” ABC Secretary Kate Power said. “The members of our club will do everything we can to combat bullying and sometimes all people need is a friend, which we can offer them.”

ABC treasurer Drew Scott echoes Power.

“My hope for the club is that it causes more students to be aware of the large amount of bullying that goes on at FFHS that is unreported,” Scott said. “I also hope that then they will act on it and prevent it from happening again.”

ABC officers recently met with the First Flight Rotary Club members to discuss a potential partnership and received extremely positive feedback.

Said ABC advisor Tami Harper, “I envision that the mentality of our school would be that bullying is not acceptable and that if it’s seen those people will be the minority and will be dealt with through positive peer pressure.”

Send comments to sealta0511@daretolearn.org