Wayne Valley does Week of Respect, Teaming up Against Bullying

Bullying is a topic that is so important in which many students go through. Whether it’s cyber, verbal, or physical, it should not be allowed to happen. But it’s something that we can prevent. Throughout  the first week of October, the Peer leaders club of Wayne Valley High School honored the Week of Respect to team up against bullying.

Mrs. Sebak, a teacher at Valley, was involved in creating this anti-bullying week to show how significant it is to treat people the way you want to be treated. She states that the week of respect is made “to send a message to those students who may be bullied or may feel disrespected that we see their pain and we are trying to change the culture that allows others to hurt them. If people know that there is a community working to make life better for them, it may make it easier for them to stand up to the people who are hurting them.” This week not only shows that we are against bullying, but reminds students to think of times when someone disrespected them or vice versa. This disrespect can be intentional or unintentional. If we stand back and let the bullying happen, the bully will only have more power. The week of respect shows that we are standing up against bullying, giving us the power.

Mrs. Sebak shares her story of how she faced bullying. She explains, “Well, I was bullied in 3rd grade, 6th grade, and 10th grade. It was pretty bad and I really hated coming to school. I learned to deal with the bullying, mostly by staying silent in class, if they didn’t know I was in the room, I wasn’t an obvious target. I don’t EVER want a student in my class to feel like they have to stay silent to stay safe. Bullies make me mad but anger does not solve problems, so I joined the team working on the Week of Respect to make a positive change in the school.” Mrs. Sebak feels that no one should ever be afraid to go to school because of one person tearing them down. The Week of Respect holds a positive impact at Wayne Valley, showing that positivity should always be spread and we should always stick up for ourselves and  for one another.

On Monday October 1st, students at Wayne Valley were told to wear blue for the first day of Week of respect. Blue was the chosen color because the National Stomp Out Bullying organization selected it and it also went along with the colors of our school. Mrs. Sebak has gotten the lucky chance to be apart of the week of respect, helping Valley become a more safe, and comfortable environment for everyone.