St. Joseph students learn a bully in school isn't cool

Friday, Nov. 28, 2014

OGDEN — Youth motivational speaker Keenan West used pop culture, his outgoing personality and the music video from his song “Never Ever” to relay an anti-bullying message to Saint Joseph Elementary and Middle School students during an assembly Nov. 19. 

The meaning behind “Never Ever” is that God will never leave us nor forsake us.

“I heard that over and over again in the Bible growing up,” said West, who began singing in the church choir at age 9. 

A friend helped West realize how powerful his message could be in combating bullying, he said. 

To make his point at the assembly, West invited some students and teachers to come forward and dance in front of the audience to show that it takes courage to step outside of one’s comfort zone to stand up for one another. 

“In 57 percent of the bullying incidents, if just one person will step out of the crowd and say or do something to stand up for a victim, the problem will stop in less than 10 seconds,” said West. “A kid who is being bullied is two times more likely to take his or her own life.”

West said a few examples of bullying are when a student is always excluded from weekend activities, has to eat lunch alone, is physically hurt by someone else, is called names or is cyberbullied. 

“Verbal and cyberbullying are the most common,” he said.

 “I didn’t get bullied and I wasn’t a bully, but if there was someone around me who was being hurt or excluded, I looked the other way, and that was a mistake,” West said. “If you put yourself in the victim’s shoes, your thoughts will change, your text messages will change, and you won’t say the things you used to say.”

West focused on five positive ways students can treat each other with respect and at the same time develop a support system.

The first step is to recognize bullying and address the issue. “Pay attention and speak up for the victim in a proper way using respect,” said West.

After the bullying problem has been resolved, the second step is to build up the victim’s self-esteem. “Also clue in the bully and tell him or her it might be a joke to them, but breaking someone else down is not OK,” said West.

Third, find inner peace, he said. Fighting back with the same negative energy doesn’t work; respond in a nonviolent way. 

Fourth, a victim must ask for advice from a friend, teacher, parent, or someone in authority as to what to do; don’t hold it inside, West advised. 

Finally, don’t give up and don’t give in. “Support one another and learn how to make your school a better place,” said West. 

Those who attended the assembly don’t think there is a problem at Saint Joseph School, they said.

Suzanne Walker, in seventh grade, said she hasn’t noticed any bullying in the school, “but maybe that’s because I haven’t paid attention,” she said. “I can’t be a bystander.” 

Ian Dirks, a fifth-grader, said “more kids might be getting bullied than you think.” 

Eighth-grader Kevin Rivera, who volunteered to dance, learned how important it is to stand up for victims and make them feel good, yet “don’t be mean to the bully; that doesn’t work,” he said.  

Information about bully prevention has to be on the kid’s level so they remember the facts, West said.

Joanna Wheelton, St. Joseph Catholic Schools of Utah president, agreed.  “Keenan West reaches the students using pop culture, dance and music, and the kids hear it in a different way than they would from their teachers,” she said. “The students don’t feel we have a bullying problem, but we want to be ever vigilant and keep it that way; we want them to feel safe; we want to be proactive rather than reactive to a bullying situation.”