Bullying Committee Shapes New Culture at Woodland Hills

Maggie Johnston grew up in a neighborhood with 15 boys and said she’s always been a tomboy, playing football and hanging out with the guys.

But at school, that often meant problems with the girls.

“I was different,” she said. “I think learning how to handle situations and being taught by my parents, it kind of developed my character in a way to be able to handle these problems. Some people decide it’s a part of growing up and there is nothing to do about it, when there really are so many things we can do to prevent it or take action against it.”

As a senior at Woodland Hills High School, she decided to take action against the bullying she faced personally while embarking on a class leadership project. That assignment, aimed at changing the community in a positive way, grew and expanded into a bullying committee at the high school which has now had an impact across the district.

Johnston, 18, of Forest Hills wanted to help other students deal with a problem she had to face on her own.

“I think a lot of students don’t understand that it’s not something you should have to deal with, it’s something we should be looking to change and effectively get rid of,” Johnston said.

Johnston said when she attended a Catholic school before coming to Woodland Hills, bullying and cliques had a big impact on her life.

“It was especially from groups of girls,” Johnston said. “I definitely didn’t fit into that at all and even up until this year, I have encountered many problems with bullying. It doesn’t stop, and even my parents have problems with people their own age who don’t know how to conduct themselves in a proper fashion. It stretches across the board.”

To take action against the bullying problem, Johnston and her fellow bullying committee member Josh Frank, 18, of Braddock, went into the middle and elementary schools to conduct skits and group discussions. The students raised awareness, allowed other children to voice their concerns and experiences, and take those issues back to the teachers and administration.

“We talked about the different types of bullying and a lot of people aren’t empathetic to the situations,” Johnston said. “They think it’s just something that happens and it’s character building, but one of the main things we tried to get across is the difference between teasing and bullying. Learning that just because we think it’s a joke, others might not take it that way.”

Frank said he felt the new program has been effective because the younger students look up to the high school students.

“They were able to talk to us rather than the teachers,” he said. “We showed them different ways that fighting doesn’t resolve everything.”

Frank also said he believes they helped to alleviate the anxiety students face when taking action against bullying.

“If you tell a teacher or a parent, you’re not a bad person,” he said.

Johnston said during their visits to other schools, they taught students about the three types of bullying: cyber, emotional and physical.

“We got a lot of interesting feedback,” she said.

Johnston said she has a large binder filled with all of the information she has both gathered and shared over the last year. The anti-bullying committee at Woodland Hills also has become a pilot program for other districts across western Pennsylvania.

While Johnston is heading to John Carroll University on an Army ROTC scholarship, the program will continue next year under her friend, Dalal Ghanen, who is heading into her senior year.

“It feels really good because it started as a project and now when I go to the middle school or elementary schools for events and fundraisers, the kids come to talk to me,” Johnston said. “It feels good that we had an impact on people’s lives.”

Frank said Woodland Hills High School has transformed for the better since he walked in the door as a freshman.

“We are leading by example,” he said.

Woodland Hills High School Assistant Principal Kevin Murray is proud of what the students have accomplished themselves.

“The kids do a great job with anti-bullying skits and we’ve incorporated anti-bullying into all of our assemblies,” Murray said. “Next year, teachers also will attend classes once a month for anti-bullying training.”

Murray said the bullying committee has had a positive effect on the students and has curbed the bullying.

“I’ve had other kids come up to me as witnesses which is great because the culture is changing and they feel comfortable telling us about stuff like this,” Murray said. “That’s a good sign—the kids trust us.”

Johnston said in the end, if everyone follows a simple philosophy, bullying can come to an end.

“Do unto others as you’d have done to you,” Johnston said.