Anti-Bullying Push Targets Queens Middle School

WHITESTONE, QUEENS -- Nearly a thousand students gathered in the auditorium of a Whitestone middle school to hear motivational speaker Tom Thelen talk about how and how they can help end bullying.

Thelen, a national anti-bullying advocate, arrived at J.H.S. 194 William Carr middle school on Nov. 17 to talk prevention with the students. He claimed 30 percent of sixth graders experience bullying on a regular basis, according to a new U.S. Department of Education Study.

That number goes down to 15 percent by the time students reach their senior year of high school, Thelen said. He feels that number is still too high.

"If we're ever going to reduce bullying, we have to give kids practical skills for how to handle it and how to help," he said.

Thelen, author of the Victimproof Bullying Prevention program, did just that in a special presentation to the middle school. Vallo Transportation, a school bus company headquartered in Queens, sponsored the event to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its annual "No Bullying Zone" campaign.

“As we commemorate five years of implementing this anti-bullying campaign, I’m proud to announce that to date we’ve delivered this important message to over 10,000 students and members of the community,” said Linda DeSabato, president of Vallo Transportation.

Lead image via Joe Connor Photography.