BATTLE MOUNTAIN - Thirteen members of the Defenders, an anti-bullying program, were part of a presentation given at the University of Nevada, Reno, on Feb. 9 that was headed by Cindy Clark, DK (developmental kindergarten) through eighth grade counselor.
The Defenders were started at Battle Mountain Junior High School in 2006 by Clark and Battle Mountain Elementary Schools Principal Lorrie Sparks. They created the program from scratch and it is now copyrighted, said Clark.
The program is taking off nationwide and this is the third presentation that Clark and the Defenders have given at conferences. The presentations focus on how other schools can implement their own Defenders programs.
Clark was the main presenter for the anti-bullying group at the Nevada Counselors Association Convention, held Feb. 8 - 10 in Reno. Her co-presenter was Counselor Mary Jo Peterson, of Taos, N.M, who has started two Defenders program at her schools, Ranchos Elementary and Enos Garcia Elementary schools.
The programs were modeled after the one at Battle Mountain Junior Jigh. Clark said she coached Peterson on how to start and run a Defenders program. Clark runs the program at the junior high.
The presentation was given on Feb. 9 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Joe Crowley Student Union on the UNR campus. The 13 Defenders had two parts in the presentation, said Clark. They performed a skit to demonstrate how the Defenders works and they answered questions from the audience, which was made up of school counselors from across the state.
"I would say it was very touching," said Clark of the presentation. "When the counselors asked them questions, they answered very honestly. It was my opinion that everyone who attended wanted this kind of program."
In 2010, Sparks, Clark and Eleanor Lemaire Elementary School Principal Amy Nelson, plus eight Defenders, gave a similar presentation at the National Girl Bullying Conference in Las Vegas. That same year, Sparks, Clark and eight Defenders also gave the presentation at the Nevada Counselors Association Convention in Las Vegas.
Clark said the Defenders that present at these programs are chosen based on the number of meetings they attend. Defenders meetings are held every Thursday at 7:30 a.m. in Clark's office at the junior high. Clark is in charge of the program and conducts the meetings.
"We feel like we do not have a large bullying problem (at the junior high) but we work at it constantly," Clark said. "The students come because they want to make their school a better place. It's an awesome program. I am very proud of the kids because they are there on their own time and they want to make a difference at their school."
The Defenders are made up of seventh and eighth graders and the number of students who attend the meetings fluctuates. Clark said around 25 students attended the last meeting.
The group is charged with coming up with solutions to bullying. They sometimes intervene when a student is being bullied.
Clark said bullying surveys are given at the junior high, Lemaire Elementary School and Battle Mountain Elementary Schools and added that bullying at the junior high school has gone down significantly since the program was implemented.
"I love the Defenders program because it gives kids the ownership of making their schools the safest place it can be," said Sparks. "When you empower students to do the right thing and do it with an intention of helping, it changes the school's culture. Many times kids will hear the same message from adults and that message is never heard. When the same kids hear it from their peers, it takes on a whole new meaning. I watched one of our main bullies, when we first started, go from having 52 hits on the bully survey down to 36 and then only 18. Although 18 is still a high number, the decrease in the number shows the program works. When Mrs. Clark came back from a conference with the realization that focusing on what the bully is doing wasn't working, we quickly got started on designing a program that focused on the onlookers - the ones who see what's happening but don't always feel confident enough to do something about it."
She continued, "These kids are the ones who don't like what's happening but for fear of becoming the bully's next victim, won't stand up or say anything. These are the kids who can make a difference in the culture of the school and turn things around. In addition, you give kids the skills they need to handle situations by themselves rather than relying on someone else to do it for them. It's a great feeling to see those kids really step up and take control and make a difference in their school. It gives us (the adults) the sense of accomplishment when we know we've given kids the life skills they will need to survive outside of school. Cindy has done a great job with the program and is to be commended for keeping it a consistent program in the schools."
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