Group helps Edgewood Junior High girls address bullying: HeraldTimesOnline.

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Email this story Print-friendly Save story Group helps Edgewood Junior High girls address bullying GIRLS provides support, a place to talk about issues and how to address them By April Toler 331-4353 | atoler@heraldt.com February 26, 2013 Edgewood Junior High School students, from left, Aubrey Floyd, Annie Francis and Destanee Evans weave bracelets tied to a lunchroom table during a recent meeting of Girls In Real Life Situations at the school in Ellettsville. David Snodgress | HeraldTimes Edgewood Junior High School student Brooke Hamilton holds an end of her bracelet in her teeth and anchors the thread for Jessica Templeman in her hair during a meeting of Girls In Real Life Situations at the school in Ellettsville. David Snodgress | HeraldTimes

ELLETTSVILLE Sadie Baxter, a sixth-grader at Edgewood Junior High School, knows what its like to feel different. Shes smaller than a lot of kids her age, although she recently grew a couple of inches, and shes moved around a lot, things she said have brought some negative attention her way. Ive moved a lot of different times and most of the times Ive moved, kids always picked on me when I got there, she said. Everybody always made fun of me because I was smaller and weaker and not as smart. But a few months ago, Sadie became a part of a new group at her school called Girls In Real Life Situations, or GIRLS. The group not only aims at combating bullying, but it also provides opportunities for all the girls at EJHS to support each other in a safe, fun environment. I just thought that people needed to be aware of the bullying people are doing to other kids and how many people are getting picked on, Sadie said of her desire to join the group. I thought if I joined this group, it would help spread awareness of all the bullying. And it has. GIRLS began meeting around Christmas, and now meets every Thursday afternoon during home room. Although EJHS made headlines earlier this year over allegations of bullying, Jill Stephens, the special education teacher who started the group, said the idea for GIRLS was in place prior to all the attention. We dont focus on bullying, Stephens said. We do talk about bullying, but we also talk about self image, reasons that things happen. Why do girls cut, suicides, things like that. We just try to bring awareness, so if its out there, if its on the table, its not that taboo, and they dont feel ashamed. As the more than 50 girls gathered in the cafeteria for last Thursdays meeting, there was the typical talking and giggling that can be expected with a large group of preteen girls. Each meeting starts with some of the girls sharing random act of kindness they either committed or received that week. Then the girls are allowed to bring up any issues they wish to discuss. One girl brought up a recent fight that reportedly happened between two boys. The girl wanted to know what she could do to get people to stop talking about it. Ideas were volunteered throughout the room and the girls decided the best answer was to simply change the subject when the topic came up to help quash the rumors.
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Group helps Edgewood Junior High girls address bullying: HeraldTimesOnline.com

3/1/2013

For girls who do not feel comfortable speaking in a group setting, there are club officers, including president Michaela Owens, who the girls can approach. There is also a Facebook page the girls can post to. Some of the girls, Michaela said, have already taken the opportunity to seek out some advice. Weve been helping this one girl, she has been having trouble with everyone, Michaela said. She has felt like no one wanted to be her friend. So she came to me and the vice president, and she talked to us about it. We let her know that we were her friends and . she automatically felt a little safer now that she had some eighth-grade friends. When she heard about the group, Michaela was excited to see what it was all about. She wasnt disappointed. When the group actually started, I saw that everyone was serious ... and I thought that I could feel safe in the group and that others could feel safe in the group, too, and we could make a big difference, Michaela said. The girls participation, their willingness to be a part of the solution instead of the problem, and their openness to each other have remained strong, Stephens said. Sticking together in a positive way, she said, is what the group is all about. Its creating that connection that we are Edgewood Junior High School and weve got to be proud of ourselves and weve got to take care of each other, Stephens said. It is hard to be a girl, especially a junior high girl. I love seeing them interact with each other in such a positive way. Its so nice to come to on Thursdays.

Copyright: HeraldTimesOnline.com 2013

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