Athens —
You’ve probably watched the scene, or one like it.
A bully picks on a kid in a school yard, until the victim gets riled up and smacks the perpetrator in the nose.
A DVD produced by the Henderson County Performing Arts Center shows bullying to be a much more serious problem.
HCPAC Executive Director Dennis Gilmore said the DVD was done using students in the center’s Youth Excellence on stage program both in front of and behind the camera. Nine months in the making, the DVD features local students in the roles of a timid teenage girl and her tormentors.
“What’s going to happen now is – we have a packet with the DVD, a study guide and 10 different stop-bullying posters that are going to be made available to school districts in the East Texas region,” Gilmore said.
“The theater was commissioned by the East Texas Communities Foundation to develop the stop-bullying program. We completed that project, and will be distributing DVDs and Study Guides to 35 ISDs and 140 campuses across the region. The school districts receiving the packets range from Longview in the east, to Kaufman in the west,” Gilmore said.
The DVD begins with the dramatization of a news report stating that a tragedy has happened at a fictional high school. Via a flashback, we see the story unfold of how a female student is ridiculed and pushed around, until she takes her own life. Students tell the reporter they wish they had done something that might have made a difference.
The DVD was shown at the Athens Kiwanis meeting on Feb. 12.
“The video is a proactive approach,” HCPAC Education Coordinator Teri Kirksey said. “We have the video, and we have the curriculum to go into the schools, and say ‘We have a plan for you to open up the dialogue with students and parents in a way to get the discussion flowing.’”
Kirksey hopes the video will not only shine a light on the problem, but also yield positive results.
“We hope students will become ambassadors for their fellow students, and stand up, and say ‘This is not right.’”
Gilmore said the video got a boost from the Athens Independent School District.
“The exciting thing about it, we met with Athens Superintendent Blake Stiles, and showed him the DVD, and information we had put together,” Gilmore said. “He liked it so much, he invited us to come back two weeks later, and present it to his leadership team.”
When the leadership team saw it, they also responded positively.
Local News
Serious problem
HCPAC produces DVD about bullying
- Local News
-
-
Millionaires Club
Tom Denton, who has led efforts to gather tabs from cans, continues the battle to provide housing for parents of children hospitalized while they are away from home.
-
Good as gold
The Henderson County Farm and Ranch Tour pulls out Tuesday morning as it has for half a century, but this time, from a new location.
-
A little Hope for West
On Thursday, April 18, West, Texas changed. The small community was shocked and devastated with a fertilizer plant explosion. Lives were lost, hundreds were injured and homes and buildings were flattened.
-
AISD trustees approve agreements at meeting
Action items were all approved Thursday by the Board of Trustees of Athens Independent School District. The approvals were made at their regular meeting.
-
A future investment
Harry and Patti Hogue present a check for $500 to go toward the Splash Pad at Kiwanis Park in Athens. The fund-raising effort is nearing the finish line for the $220,000 project, although donations are still being sought. The Splash Pad is expected to be open some time this summer.
-
Ultimate sacrifice
Peace officers from across Henderson County gathered on the courthouse square Thursday afternoon to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
-
Ideas on display
Charles Parker can do some pretty fancy things with your kitchen utensils and old golf clubs.
Parker’s ideas can be seen on display Saturdays at the Athens Farmers Market. This is his third year to bring his crafts to be sold. -
iPads trim costs
Keeping pace with new technology, Henderson County Justices of the Peace can potentially save thousands of dollars through the use of iPads.
-
Fly-in to help with awareness of airport
Mark your calendar for June 1. Athens will be busy with the Old Fiddlers Reunion and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events.
To make the day complete, the Athens Municipal Airport will be hosting a “Fly-in” on Saturday, June 1. According to organizer Charles Tidmore, the event will give the local community a better awareness and appreciation of the Athens Airport. -
AISD hires PBK architects
Athens Independent School District Blake Stiles believes one of the biggest considerations rendered at Thursday’s school board meeting was to choose a company that will carry out construction for security at Athens High School and Athens Middle School. The contractor is known as a construction manager at risk.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
