Montgomery
Public School
Students ROCK
River Region ROCK (Respect Others,
Create Kindness), schools and
communities across the country recently
observed October as National Bullying
Prevention Month. The goal was to
encourage communities to work together
to stop bullying by increasing awareness of
its impact on children of all ages.
Pep rallies, workshops, parent sessions and
positive behavior celebrations in schools
all helped reinforce a strong anti-bullying
message rooted in self-respect and respect
for others. “In recent years, bullying has
escalated from mild verbal attacks and
pushing, to real violence and attacks
through cyberspace that too often have
tragic consequences,” said Melanie Beasley,
Public Affairs Director, Family Sunshine
Center. ROCK will work to change
attitudes about bullying and raise our
level of respect for others through positive
reinforcement and education. Raising the
level of awareness among young people
and adults is important.”
ROCK began as a branding campaign
for the Family Sunshine Center and
Montgomery Public Schools (MPS)
that was created by Stamp during its
annual Create-A-thon in 2011. Brightly
colored ROCK posters that included a
kid-friendly, anti-bullying message and
instructions on how to report bullying
incidents soon began appearing in MPS’ 33
elementary schools. Then, ROCK stickers,
T-Shirts, arm bracelets and pencils were
incorporated as behavior incentives to complement the bullying prevention curriculum
offered by the Family Sunshine Center and MPS. As more elementary students became
empowered to report bullying in schools using the ROCK materials, steering committee
members began to recognize that the respect message was desperately needed in the
community, too.
“I believe the increase in crime and bullying in our communities is a direct reflection of
a growing lack of respect for others. Respect others, create kindness is a simple message
that can resonate with everyone, but it has to be instilled in young people early, and
reinforced in our attitudes and behaviors as adults, too,” said MPS public information
man Y