Lanoka Harbor School 'Fosters a Sense of Community'

Elementary school students danced and clapped as they awaited the start of a production on anti-bullying today.

As a part of the National Week of Respect, the Lanoka Harbor School Parent Teacher Organization sponsored an assembly by Motivational Productions.

“Here at the Lanoka Harbor School, I’m proud to say every day is a day of respect,” Principal Rosemarie Bond said to a large group of kindergarten through second-graders.

Bond has noticed the student’s “good manners” among each other in the hallways and classrooms, she said.

“Not every school is like the Lanoka Harbor School. Some schools have bullies,” she told the students.

Students cheered as they saw Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez on screen. Stand Together, a video for grades kindergarten through six, utilizes three real life stories of everyday kids who have battled bullying to teach students how to stand against the growing epidemic.

The show featured a girl who was being made fun of by two classmates—a friend and a guidance counselor stepped in to help—and another little girl who was bullied because she liked Star Wars.

Stand Together ultimately taught the students three lessons: don’t make others feel bad, tell an adult immediately and stand together by reaching out to others and becoming friends.

“I liked how he told them to stop bullying,” student Anna said of the counselor who mediated the issue between a bully and a victim. “It made me feel happy.”

“I liked that the girl that liked Star Wars, she didn’t stop liking Star Wars,” student Elijah said.

Three-screen productions have become popular, Bond said.

“They’re usually very current, capture the attention of the students and have an important message,” she said.

After the production, teachers could follow up on the assembly with lesson plans and activities that have been provided to them, she said.

There were two confirmed incidents in the Lanoka Harbor School.

Prior to the state implementing a new anti-bulling law for schools, which has simply made improvements on the reporting and paperwork end, the Lanoka Harbor School already addressed the issue through a Responsive Classroom program, Bond said.

“That coupled with my morning messages from Project Wisdom are designed to foster a sense of community and caring in the school,” she said.

A Responsive Classroom focuses on increasing academic achievement, decreasing problem behaviors and improving skills, ultimately leading to more high-quality instruction.

Teachers utilize activities throughout the day to expand students learning and create positive communities. Some of the practices include a daily morning meeting, a proactive approach to discipline, positive teacher language and giving students choices in their learning.

For those students that do feel bullied, after remediation and addressing the problem, the school administration follows up with the students, Bond said.

“We take very seriously any incident in which a child feels uncomfortable or bullied,” she said. “We want all our children to feel safe and comfortable."