0 CommentsBullies got to go
A father finds his son lying on the floor with a bullet in his head, self-inflicted. He was taunted, hit, and threatened with continuous abuse by his classmates.
Stratford High School senior Megan Montalbano is doing her part to arm kids with anti-bullying strategies through her play, Bullies G2G, presented to students transitioning to middle school in Spring Branch ISD.
Several middle-school students terrorize a classmate with mental illness on a school bus. Her father boards the bus, in defense of his daughter, only to lash out himself by threatening the students on the bus.
When does it stop? Why did it start?
In middle school, I remember being bullied about my weight – having food thrown at me, books knocked out of my hands and excluded from the lunch table. It became so bad that I ate my lunch in the bathroom like Lindsay Lohan did in the movie Mean Girls.
As a Girl Scout, it’s my responsibility to set an example for other girls. I wrote Bullies G2G, a multi-act play for area fifth-grade students to learn about ways they can deal with bullies in different scenarios in their lives. I built the play around four major themes – Cancel Cliques, Don’t Judge, Words Hurt, It Doesn’t Matter – and recruited my friends for the cast.
To put my play into action, I submitted the idea and script to principals and teachers at two elementary schools in Spring Branch ISD. Both schools, Nottingham and Wilchester Elementary agreed to have Bullies G2G presented to their fifth-grade students as part of their transition into middle school. Kids who saw it told me they felt empowered and really liked it. So did the teachers and parents. My play also helped me meet the requirements to receive the Girls Scouts Gold Award this year.
Kids shouldn’t be afraid to go to school because of bullies. Kids shouldn’t die of fear. We have to teach them to talk to their parents, teachers and principals and ask for help. Parents and teachers must be taught to listen. Now is the time to stand up to bullies.
Editor’s note: For more information on Megan’s play, email her at (meganmontalbano@yahoo.com) meganmontalbano (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Want to be a Buzz Kid? E-mail approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and cutline to (info@thebuzzmagazines.com) info (at) thebuzzmagazines (dot) com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, TX 77401.
