On Monday, November 14, the Copiague Middle School held a Bullying Awareness Day. Organized by the Guidance Department, the students and staff at the school were encouraged to wear purple to take a stand against bullying.
The highlight of the day was a presentation by Jamie Issacs. Jamie is a tenth-grade student at a private school on Long Island. Throughout her elementary and middle school years attending public school, Jamie was the victim of intense bullying. During her time at the school, Jamie was harassed by more than twenty fellow peers, which eventually led to the creation of the Jamie Issacs Foundation for Anti-Bullying.
While at the Middle School, Jamie shared her horrific story with the six, seventh, and eighth-grade students who were in attendance, employed student volunteers to perform a short skit that reinforced the devastating effects of bullying, and showed the trailer to the documentary Bullycide: The Voice of Complicity.
Leading up to Bullying Awareness Day, the students, along with members of the faculty and staff, signed an anti-bullying pledge that was on display in the front lobby. “We believe that everybody should enjoy our school equally and feel safe, secure, and accepted regardless of color, race, gender, popularity, athletic ability, intelligence, religion, and nationality,” remarked Principal Andrew Lagnado.
Additionally, the Home and Careers Club set up a table during lunch periods that gave students the opportunity to graffiti something nice on a piece of paper to make someone feel good about themselves.
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