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ELKINS -- Elkins Middle School will be kicking off a community wide campaign against bullying with a special event on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the Elkins Railyard Depot.
The event, which is part of the school's "Buzz Off Bullies" program, will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will feature an array of activities including a bonfire, music, food, drawings and more.
"We wanted to have a kickoff event that involved the entire community," EMS Counselor Connie Townsend told The Inter-Mountain. "Because bullying just doesn't happen on school grounds, it exists at school bus stops, community parks, summer camps, neighborhoods and anywhere that young people gather. We want the community to get involved so they can help us watch out for bullying and help us prevent it."
The "Buzz Off Bullies" program is made available at EMS through a grant from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource's Bureau for Behavioral Health. It is administered through Marshall University's Health Technical Assistance Center, School of Medicine.
Elkins Middle School is the first school in the community to pilot the program from OLEWUS, which is an evidence-based program developed by Swedish Norwegian psychologist Dan Olweus. Olweus Bullying Prevention in the United States is led by Clemson University in partnership with Hazelden Publishing.
The three main goals of the program are to reduce existing bullying problems among students, to prevent the development of new bullying problems, and to achieve better peer relations at school.
"I think that bullying is fairly prevalent in all schools across the nation," Townsend said. "We are hoping to raise awareness and give people the information they need to help prevent it.
"We would also like to use this event as an opportunity for our students to learn about after-school activities and opportunities that are available in our community."
Other organizations scheduled to attend the event include: Engage, Project Isaac WVU, 4-H, Marshall University, Youth Health Service, Elkins/Randolph County YMCA and a host of church youth groups.
For organizations or groups wishing to set up a table at the event, RSCP to anlamber@k12.wv.us or townsend.connie@k12.wv.us. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the Phil Gainer Community Center.
For more information on the event, call Elkins Middle School at 304-636-9176 (ext. 412).