Northwest students take stand against bullying

Students from Northwest Intermediate School recently took a stand against bullying. The students in kindergarten through sixth grade discussed the negative effects of bullying during their Social Wellness class that is administered by Vincent Hemenway, school-based social worker. The sixth-grade class pledged to stand up for students who are bullied. The classes are based on a nationally approved program called the Olweus bullying program. Results show that there has been a reduction in the amount of bullying incidents from 2009-2011 since the program was brought to the classroom level on a daily basis. The Central Susquehanna Community Foundation is a supporter of the program. Some of the participants, from left: Hemenway; Cassidy Verbinski; Bryan Rogers; and Patti Axtell, head teacher.