By Jacqui Schlabach

A trending topic throughout Naperville North is bullying prevention. Education, intervention and prevention are three subtopics in which bullying has been broken down by faculty members to ensure a clear idea of steps to be taken when dealing with this issue.

Throughout the year, there have been numerous events particularly to get students and parents involved with making NNHS a better place to be. Each month this school year, a club has been designated to lead the way in bully awareness.

Speech Team for example, for the month of November promoted “Anonymous Apology” in which students would write on a small sheet of paper something they have done to a friend or classmate and wish to apologize. These notes were posted on the large café wall to encourage students to not only take responsibility for their actions, but to act respectfully towards everyone.

“ I do think  [the steps to prevent bullying] are helping. If one person is being bullied, it’s one person too many,” said Dean Jacquie Discipio.

Discipio was one of the people in charge of February’s First Class session of the bystander affect, along with Mrs. Wickman. Earlier in October (Bullying Awareness Month), there was another lesson designated to bullying and the different types that everyone should be able to recognize. Within FYI lessons as well, bullying has been covered in the lesson “Pause before you post.” Discipio believes that it’s important to address this especially for freshman because whatever occurred in junior high, can be carried on to coming into high school. Upper classman are more able to solve conflicts with themselves because they know tactics on how to approach it, versus freshmen who have less experience.

Although statistic numbers are low, bullying is still affecting a handful of students. Incoming freshman, b current eighth graders, took an anti-bullying pledge along with their parents to remind them  that their role at NNHS is to do what they can to always be kind to others.

Students aren’t the only ones being addressed upon; the faculty as well has their own meetings and events to show awareness of this issue among them. The Positive School Climate Committee is a movement done to ensure kindness among their co workers.

“Just as students should have a positive culture, staff is treated with kindness to be a happy place as well,” said Discipio.

Often times people are unaware of what is considered bullying and what is not. There are many things that can be acted upon another person in which is acknowledged as bad, but don’t really know it is bullying. It’s important to stand up for our classmates so NNHS can have a healthy and happy environment.

If you ever witness or experience any type of bullying, the school district offers a way where you can report the incident anonymously using Tip203. There is a tab on the NNHS homepage or you can go to the Tip203 site for more information.