Wantagh students say no to bullying

Wantagh High School students took a stand against bullying last week to celebrate Unity Day, a day where students, faculty and community members annually come together for an anti-bullying campaign.

Students sported orange T-shirts in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month and many signed a pledge to support the cause.

“I think spreading the awareness of Unity Day throughout the community brings another level of just how real it is,” Senior Nyatasha Jackowicz said. “Most people are detached from it and don’t understand it, so having small events like this really makes people realize that they should stand up for others.”

Jackowicz is just one of the hundreds of students that signed the anti-bullying pledge in the school’s main lobby. Also, being the second runner-up in the Miss Wantagh Pageant, Jackowicz stood with the rest of the court, handing out orange pins and stickers to promote awareness.

“We’re just trying to promote good and positive overall feelings,” she added.

According to nobullying.com, 25 percent of teenagers report that they have experienced repeated bullying via their cell phone or on the Internet and more than half of young people report being cyber bullied.

“Cyber bullying and social media is a big problem,” Assistant Principal James Brown said. “The Miss Wantagh Court’s theme is not just bullying in general but also cyber bullying and how to counter that.”

Students had the opportunity to sign the pledge and receive a pin during their off periods, lunch break or in between classes.

“We’re very happy that the girls decided to choose that as their message,” Brown added. “Our goal is to have every student and staff member in the school pledge to not cyber bully.”

The Miss Wantagh Court hopes to keep the campaign running every October and continue to promote anti-bullying awareness year round. This was the third year the court hosted the awareness day.

“Unity Day is just a way to let all of the students know that it’s OK to stand with your friends and not participate in this bad behavior,” senior and first runner-up Ruth Kupperberg said. “I think slowly this will make a change and people will get the idea that it is childish.”

To learn more about Unity Day and how to prevent bullying on a national level, visit the National Bullying Prevention center at www.pacer.org/bullying/.

“Wantagh is just too good to bully and people in this town and in this school know better,” Kupperberg said. “If something isn’t right in your life, there is other ways to channel that energy. Bullying is just not the route to go.”