Anti-Bullying Campaign | Video

Amy Fox | 11/28/2012

The North Dakota Legislature requires all school districts in the state to develop their own anti-bullying policies. Minot High School`s Central Campus is trying to raise awareness of the problem before it actually becomes one.

High school is never an easy time in a person`s life, there`s so many issues teens have to deal with.

"Bullying is an imbalance of power that one person does not have power and the other person does. And, so it can take a lot of different forms," said Central Campus Guidance Consular Lisa Goldade.

Bullying can be verbal, psychological or even physical, but at Central Campus, they`re taking a preemptive step to stop it altogether.

"Any opportunity we get to bring it to the forefront, you know, the things you need to do to avoid bullying to stay away from drugs. It`s always something we take and repetition is our friend. So we will do things over and over again," said Goldade.

Through a year long series of activities and programs, Central Campus hopes to unify the student body and make everyone feel welcomed.

"We do see, like, students sitting alone at lunch, and we kind of encourage kids to just hang out with them because they are new two the area, and they don`t know anybody," said Ryan Brent, Central Campus Key Club President.

One of the newest forms of bullying is difficult to stop.

As Central Campus Assistant Principal Robert Martin explains, "What I`m seeing in from my classes is a lot of the online things and it`s a very difficult animal to be honest and attack.”

While bullying is moving away from the classroom and moving more towards the internet, there are still ways for students to report the problem and stay anonymous.

"We take every type of incident or report very seriously,” said Martin. "We interview all parties that are involved, of course, and oftentimes that just snowballs to where you think you may have it narrowed down to one to two kids, and the next thing you know, you`re talking to several."

While bullying still exists, Central Campus is happy with the progress their school is making.

"We`re headed toward extinctions of those behaviors that, you know, make some people feel like they are on the outside. And, so, school-wide we include the students in activities, the clubs, you know, and participation year long and make it a lifestyle," said Goldade.

Central Campus looks forward to carrying out their new anti-bullying motto: "Not here, not now, not ever."

When a student is bullied at Central Campus, they are encouraged to fill out a student bullying report form.

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