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ESM Middle School Students and Public Get Tangible Lessons to Deal with Bullying

A traveling presentation for public schools and colleges is making a stop this week at Pinegrove Middle School in East Syracuse with an anti-bullying message to empower students to step in and be a superhero of sorts.  The co-founder of Sweethearts and Heroes, Tom Murphy is a former mixed martial arts athlete.  In one demonstration, he acts as a bully towards a student and has two other students dressed in capes respond by actively causing a distraction, empowering the victim to speak up to him.

“She was not supposed to talk.  That’s the rule that that kid has followed his whole life.  That he or she is not supposed to talk, he’s (or she’s) supposed take it.  She broke the rule.”

Tom Murphy asks students to pose as role models in a demonstration on how to be 'superheroes' in bullying situations.

 Aside from in person bullying, Murphy explains that bullying via social media is only magnifying the problem.

“Who makes it habitual?  It used to be me being habitual to you over and over, again.  Now, it may be just one incident where you now as the victim go back and check that post 25, 30, 40 times to find out who else has liked it, shared it, commented.”
 
 
A retired US Army Sergeant Rick Yarosh’s face was severely burned by an IED in Iraq when he was 24. He uses an acronym for the word ‘hope’ to reach youth; Hold On, Possibilities Exist.
 

IED explosion survivor Rick Yarosh wishes to spread hope to children he believes are losing as much hope as he did as an injured soldier in Iraq.

 
7th grade student Izaha Huyden says he walked away from the presentation with some new perspectives.

“I got more of an inspiration to help others, more or less.  Like say if a kid’s getting bullied, usually I’ll try to help them.  Now, instead of letting the problem carry on itself, stop the problem at its root.  It’s like a weed; it doesn’t stop growing.  So, you have to find its roots and rip it out.”
 
Pinegrove Middle School is hosting a public discussion about anti-bullying for parents and the community Tuesday night at 7 PM.  The school is located at 1638 Fremont Road in East Syracuse.  

John Smith has been waking up WAER listeners for a long time as our Local Co-Host of Morning Edition with timely news and information, working alongside student Sportscasters from the Newhouse School.