Tuesday, Jan. 15 2013 10:34AM Courage is the January community
of character trait By Kerri Gray Chances are, most of us can
remember a time in school where we were either bullied or
witnessed someone else being bullied. According to the U.S.
Department on Crime, 160,000 students miss school each day for
fear of being bullied. Imagine going to school and being called
names, “accidentally” bumped into or excluded from activities
with peers. Problems with bullying begin early in elementary
school, intensify in middle school and can continue into high
school. How does this happen? What can we do to stop it?
Bullying occurs when a person or group of people intentionally
and repetitively target someone who is unable to defend
themselves. Most students are not bullies or targets; they are
referred to as bystanders. Bystanders, although they may not
realize it, can have a big influence in stopping bullying; they
just need to have the courage to stand up for what is right. My
work with Lee’s Summit CARES involves faci