Students from Grades 7, 8 and 9 of Sister Mary Patricia Russell Junior High School (SMPRJHS) listen attentively to guest speakers on opening day of the Annual Grade Level Seminar. (Photo: Neron Russell)
Under this year’s theme, ‘Bullying: From source to cure’ the Sister Mary Patricia Russell Junior High School (SMPRJHS) opened its Annual Grade Level Seminar, commencing on Tuesday (September 27) and concluding Thursday, September 29.
The three-day event is being held on the Church of Christ grounds, where the students will be educated on various aspects of bullying and what they can do if confronted in a situation where they may be a part of the problem, or equally as important, part of the solution.
Jason Thompson, Senior Master, SMPRJHS noted the importance on focusing on bullying as the first of many seminars that the school will host during this academic year.
“Focusing on bullying this year is very important, because just this morning I had a matter between a parent and two children, where one child was bullying the next. Combating bullying is very important, because a lot of kids do not take it seriously; it begins at home and within the community.
“We are trying to sensitize the kids enough to understand that when they see something happening that is wrong, to alert an adult so that the matter can be resolved,” said Thompson.
“A lot of times simple acts of bullying lead to violence. Sometimes, some of these children are sent to the Simpson Penn Center for Boys, commonly referred to the Boys Industrial School in Nassau. We are trying to have them understand that bullying is neither funny nor good; whether you are a victim or a bystander, if you see something turning out wrong, report the matter.
“We want them to understand not only bullying, but everything that continuously has violent implications in a school system. Bullying is our first topic; we intend to deal with that very strongly so that they can understand the importance of it,” stated Thompson.
He added that it is the administrations’ intention to host similar seminars throughout the school year as well. “We have to have these so much more than even just teaching them in the classrooms. A lot of these kids are so afraid just to go home, or even go to lunch breaks; these seminars are so important.
“Our whole dynamic of the family has changed; most of these kids do not have a father in the home to talk to. Some of them have grandparents who are so old that they are too tired to even listen to these children and their problems. We are trying to be a parental figure on the campus as well and have the kids understand the importance of various aspects, teaching them that if they see something that is not right, report to somebody,” concluded the Senior Master.
Sophia Morley-Deveaux, SMPRJHS Guidance Counsellor added, “Today we are having one of our seminars for the week, as a matter of fact there is a grade level each day – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday – Grades 7,8 and 9 respectively. What is taking place here is our annual seminar on a topical area. This year we thought to focus on bullying. We are running an ‘Anti Bullying’ campaign on our campus this week.”
Questioned if bullying is a prevalent issue on the SMPRJHS campus she stated, “Definitely, it has been around for eternity but we have been calling it different things; now we have something to call it. Now, we can identify it, target it and strategize to get rid of it. As a result of that, we may have referred to it as one being ‘biggity,’ but at the end of the day it is bullying.
“We are trying to nip it in the bud, because in the past we would have identified with a child who has been bullied and we are still doing that in this campaign; but we also want to look at the child who is the bully. We know that hurting people will in turn hurt other people.”
Morley-Deveaux said that the organizers want to target what the root cause is and try to get that child to search deep within and to correct that negative behavior.
“Small bullies will grow into big bullies; small bullies have the administration of the school to deal with and the big bullies have the law enforcement of The Bahamas to deal with. We don’t want these kids to grow into cold adults who hurt other people and do not care about how they feel, because that is going to be the end result.
“On the other end of the spectrum we want to help the kids that are being bullied, because they too will grow into adults with negative consequences allowing people to take advantage of them – being depressed, suicidal and we see the implications of that all around us. If we can minimize those two numbers in the future, seminars like this will help The Bahamas.”
As a guidance counsellor, Morley-Deveaux was questioned what she would say to parents and guardians who may have a child that is a victim of bullying.
She responded, “As a parent it is tough to hear that your child has been bullied in school. Right away you want to deal with the problem. As a parent, myself, I am saying this, but we must remain calm and level headed. We have to seek the assistance of the administration of the school in solving the problem, even if it means asking them to bring both homes into the same venue to discuss the problem.
“Hopefully, you have level headed adults on both sides that can reconcile the situation; however, that is not always the case.
“We have young parents that are hot headed and they are on their kids’ side and not hearing anything else. We have to pray throughout those situations but the best scenario is to come together, on one accord, with a mediator, hopefully, the school, and try to resolve the situation,” informed the Guidance Coun-sellor.
As some children are indeed apprehensive about disclosing the fact that they are victims of bullying, an issue that Morley-Deaveaux shared, occurs at the learning institution.
She recommended a few tips for those that may fall into that category. “We have a lot of posters on our campus right now that speak to bullying and speaks to kids being bullied.”
Morley-Deaveaux referred to a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt which states, ‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.’
“That can only happen if you give them that permission. That is a strong message to say, you have power and control of what you allow to take control of your mind and your being. Therefore, let that be positive rather than negative, and protect yourself and your self image.”
As for guest speakers, invited to address the students during the three-day event she said, “ We have Elder Laquez Williams here with us today. We have also invited pastor Kyle Maycock and pastor Bruce Russell, because each day is a different grade level. We want them all to be enriched by their messages.”
In conclusion Morley-Deveaux admonished parents and guardians to be positive role models to the children that are in their care, as learning right from wrong begins in the home.
“I want to say to parents be role models for their children. Children will mimic the behavior that they see. If you are going to fuss someone out on the red light and use swear words, your children are seeing that.
“If may be a negative family issue that they are exposed to, we are modeling negative for our children. I want us to correct that because you may be a cheerleader of that activity today, but you will be a mom crying in the courtroom tomorrow if that behavior grows into adulthood,” said Morley-Deveaux.
