KALAHEO — We’re all different but have the same heart, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. told students Wednesday at Kalaheo Elementary School. “Bullying is a hot topic throughout the state,” said Erik Burkman, Kalaheo School principal. “This assembly is about everyone
KALAHEO — We’re all different but have the same heart, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. told students Wednesday at Kalaheo Elementary School.
“Bullying is a hot topic throughout the state,” said Erik Burkman, Kalaheo School principal. “This assembly is about everyone treating each other with respect.”
Burkman, working with the students in the assembly, said bullying is when a boy, girl or adult does things to make another person feel bad.
“We have this in school,” Burkman said. “If it happens to you, we have to handle it and we have our counselors to help.”
Carvalho re-iterated the respect and working together aspect during his appearance at a first-grade class.
“It’s alright to be different,” Carvalho said. “But we’re all the same, inside. Everyone comes from different backgrounds but we’re all in the same class at the same school. It’s okay to be different. We just need to be respectful of each other.”
“We care,” Carvalho said, noting he and William Arakaki, the Kaua‘i Area Complex superintendent, have had meetings to discuss bullying and how to keep Kaua‘i’s keiki safe.
Burkman said if a student encounters bullying, there are ways to handle the situation. One student responded, saying, “Walk away,” and another added, “Tell the teacher,” effective aids when the situation presents itself.
The county provides students with places they can go to after school to have safe fun and make new friends, reinforcing the student contributions of what they each participate in when school lets out, Carvalho said.
He said that is possible because he has good people on his “team,” just as students have good friends who help accomplish tasks.
“We at the county give you safe places where you can go to make new friends to help you do more,” Carvalho said.
A spokesperson from the Mayor’s Office said Carvalho visited Kalaheo School because he received a letter from a parent who wanted the students to learn more about the mayor and the topic of bullying is a statewide concern within the educational system.
During his visit, Carvalho spoke to the entire Kalaheo School student body at the special assembly opening the day before adjourning to visit four different classrooms where the students guided his presentations.
Youth who bully frequently are more likely to be aggressive and develop criminal records in adulthood, states the Stop Bullying Now website. Bullied children may grow up with diminished self-confidence and a sense of isolation and helplessness.
Stan Davis, a founding member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, said there are ways to stop bullying based on decades of research.
Based on a 2008 study of bullying prevention in Colorado schools, “a positive relationship with adults and students at school and a school culture of trust and fairness are key to reducing bullying.”
