1. BULLYING Let’s work together to stop the torment!

2. 20 th High School Reunion I attended my 20 th high school reunion. At one point, I stopped to chat with a guy I didn’t recognize. His name tag read “Greg.” As we spoke, I realized that this was a guy who was the ultimate nerd in high school. He had big glasses. He loved science and math. He got straight A’s. He even wore a pocket protector! Of course, he was teased mercilessly because he was a nerd.

3. 20 th High School Reunion Greg looked good now! He wore a nice tailored suit. No more glasses. He was accompanied by a pretty wife and showed off pictures of his perfect kids. I asked him what he does now. He said he is a cardiac surgeon at a pediatric hospital. He operates on newborn babies who are born with heart defects. He saves the lives of little babies!

4. 20 th High School Reunion All I could think of was how mean kids were to Greg in high school. How many days did he go home feeling terrible about himself because of what others said and did? How many times did he just want to give up and check out from life? Thank goodness he didn’t! Thank goodness Greg loved science! His interests and good grades in high school turned into a guy who is saving the lives of babies!

5. Students need to stop bullying people who are different and learn to appreciate the differences in people.

6. Bullying is bad for the morale of a school.

7. Bad for Morale  We all have to come to school.  Right now school is a nightmare for some students.  When some students feel unsafe at school, everyone feels vulnerable. “Will I be next?”

8. Bad for Morale  In a national study be the Josephson Institute of Ethics, nearly half of high school students reported that they’ve been the victim of bullying.

9. Cyberbullying makes bullying more dangerous.

10. Cyberbullying  According to the Josephson Institute of Ethics, “The Internet has intensified the effect” of bullying because now the bullies can reach more people with their attacks.  The website CyberBullying.us reports that 33% of youth have been the victim of cyberbullying.

11. Cyberbullying  Bullying used to occur only at school or on the bus.  Now, with new technologies, there is a whole new way to bully over the Internet or through texting.

12. Bullying leads to wasted potential.

13. Wasted Potential  Students who are bullied often hide away from society in order to escape the bullies.  These are people who have real potential to do great things with their lives.  If they check out of life, they waste the potential they had for doing great things.

14. Some people say that bullying is a “rite of passage” that all kids should experience.

15. Rite of Passage  Some people think that dealing with bullying makes kids stronger.  They feel that everyone goes through it at some point.  Yes, many kids are bullied, but not all can withstand the torment without emotional scars.  Why subject kids to pain if we can prevent it?

16. Bullying has to stop, and peers are the ones who have to make the first move to end it.

17. Remember Greg?  Think about the story of Greg.  What if he had changed his interests just because kids made fun of him?  What if he had “checked out” of life and just hid away at home to avoid bullies?  What if—worst case—he couldn’t stand the torment anymore and took his own life?

18. Remember Greg?  Without Greg’s love of science and hard work in school, he would not have become a surgeon.  If Greg had not become a surgeon, who would be there to save the lives of newborn babies?  I am so proud of Greg for continuing with his dream despite the teasing of his classmates!

19. Stand up for the Gregs!  You don’t know the true potential of your classmates.  Don’t be responsible for someone feeling so badly about themselves that they waste their potential.  Stand up for the Gregs in your class!

20. It is not your place to judge!  Based on the way someone looks  Based on the way someone talks  Based on the way someone dresses  Based on where someone lives  Based on someone’s interests  Based on the grades someone earns

21. Treat everyone with respect! That “nerd” may save your life someday!