Freshman Brandon Block earned his second consecutive Honorable Mention in the Asbury Park Press’s monthly essay contest.

Brandon responded to the topic “What more can be done to stop bullying?”  He had previously earned an Honorable Mention for his December essay in response to “What song best represents your personality and outlook on life?”

Below is most recent essay:

Have schools really done enough to stop bullying? Although almost every school has some type of program to discourage bullying, is there really any less bullying in schools?  Unfortunately, simply having children sit through an assembly once a year or having a school club promote an anti-bullying campaign is just not enough.  After the assembly is over and the people in the club lose interest, bullying continues.  In order to effectively reduce bullying, the anti-bullying theme must be incorporated in schools through working in groups, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school.

In core classes, working in group settings could help to reinforce the negatives of bullying.  Every month, teachers could create a group project for students to complete together. Rotating the groups of students will allow them to become more familiar with each other and to bond.  Students will come to depend upon one another and to reach out when they feel bullied or threatened.  These alliances formed among the students, together with the anti-bullying message that will be reinforced by the teachers, should reduce the amount of bullying in schools. 

Similarly, in gym classes, teachers can require that students participate in group activities so that students of all levels of athletic ability can work together.  Gym does not always have to be a contest, where only the most athletic students are praised.  Team related exercises that require both mental and physical skills can help students that are less athletic bond with those that are more athletic.   It is very common in physical education classes for bullying and intimidation to take place.  When students build friendships in class and become part of a team, there is less of a chance that bullying will occur.

Students often form cliques, which exclude others.  Those students who are not accepted by these cliques become vulnerable to bullying.  If teachers promote team projects and activities where students are randomly placed into groups, it will lessen the number of isolated students who are target by bullies.  In order to reduce the amount of bullying in schools, students from kindergarten through high school must participate in team building exercises and projects as a part of the school curriculum.