Solution+Action+HARASSMENT+helpers

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Research shows that one of the leading causes of teen suicide is bullying (whether it's harassment or cyber bullying). Our group wanted to see if bullying was prevalent in Pascack Valley. We had decided that the best way to figure this out is to ask the students themselves. When going from class to class we asked the four simple questions: Do you realize how bulling effects others? Have you ever witnessed someone bullying another student? Have you ever been bullied? and Have you ever bullied someone? The majority of students raised their hands for every question. While analyzing our data we realized that many kids answered yes to knowing the effects of bullying, but why did they also raise their hands when we asked if they ever bullied someone else?=====

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Unfortunately, teasing is often a part of growing up. Almost every teenager has experienced bullying. The truth is bullying sticks with you even through college and even when you become an adult. There are many different types of bullying. A few include: Verbal which is, making threats and name calling, psychological, Excluding others, or spreading rumors, and physical which is either hitting or taking someone else's belongings. While asking our guidance teacher which gender is more victimized by bullying, Mrs. Davis answered saying that both genders are pretty equal but boys seem to be more physical while girls are more verbal. Another type of bullying that has become more popular throughout the years is cyber bullying. In fact a new blog has just came out called Formspring where children can hide who they are and say any nasty thing they want to another person. This website is very common for teenagers in high school, including PV. The harassment helpers have concluded that people bully because they want some sort of power over another person. Being able to hide who you are and write whatever you want about someone gives them the power to say whatever they want without getting into trouble. The big question here is, why do people set themselves up to be hurt?===== The Effects of bullying can be very major. If a person is suffering from constant bullying at school they can become extremely depressed. Research shows that kids who suffer from bullying do poorly in school because they have a tough time concentrating. They are always thinking of, what did they do wrong to deserve such cruelty, or who will i sit with at lunch. If bullying continues they might refuse to go to school. Bullying also causes low self esteem that will carry along with the person through adulthood. Not only does the victim suffer, but also the bully causing all the damage. Bullies may have trouble forming relationships. They also have a hard time finding themselves making them more prone to alcohol and drugs. Even the children who witness bullying can be effected as well. "Children who see bullying can be as traumatized as the victims because they fear becoming victims themselves. And they feel guilty for not doing something to help," according to James Garbarino, professor of human development at Cornell University. Bullying can become even more extreme if a child feels like the only way out of suffering is by committing suicide. We have all heard of a story where a child just couldn't take the stress anymore. Maybe someone far away, maybe somewhere close by, or even here at our school. Teenagers need to be able to keep their school bully free so nothing as extreme as this ever happens at our school. A few ways you can tell if a teenager is going through bullying is: Frequent crying, making excuses to not get out of the house such as, saying they have a stomach ache or head ache, unexplained bruises, drop in grades, not wanting to go to school, changes in social life such as, no calls from friends or not going out to hang out with friends, and changes in the way the person talks such as, cursing or talking bad about another person. If anyone witnesses these symptoms in another person they need to make sure they either tell a school counselor or try talking it out with the person. The quickest way to make a bully victim feel better is to let them know you are their friend and that you are always there for them to go to for a friend or some advice. The harassment helpers want to make sure that kids at PV understand the pain one goes through when being bullied. PV kids should always be willing to help one another as a family. We all come to PV and look at it as a second home considering we spend most of our time their learning and making new friends. Nobody should be afraid of not feeling accepted here at PV. If you know someone who needs help or simply needs a friend, the Harassment helpers are always here to help.