No Bullying in October, And All Year

October was National Bullying Prevention Month, and we asked everyone to join us and sign the pledge to give high fives for bully free lives. With the help of our Learning Liftoff readers and K12 families, 4,914 signatures were collected in October! Think of all of the people who were made aware of the cause, and helped to turn some of the terrible bullying statistics around. Thank you!

If you didn’t get a chance to sign the pledge during October, don’t worry. It’s not over. The truth is, raising awareness for bullying prevention is a cause that is everlasting. We ask that you continue to sign the pledge, and give high fives for bully free lives.

Others have shown their support for National Bullying Prevention Month in different ways. Christa Foster, for example, faced bullying in a brick-and-mortar school, and her mother encouraged her to write about her experience. Christa wanted to rewrite her story, and, in turn, give hope to herself, and others who may be facing similar situations.  Christa’s story has been published, and she is now attending K12’s online public school, Texas Virtual Academy, and bullying is no longer an issue in her life.

In addition to the #High5BullyFree pledge, there were some other great activities during October. Another one of K12’s online public schools, Hoosier Academies, hosted Different As Dilly Bars in which they spread the word that the only difference in the five flavors of Dilly Bars are the flavor they are dipped in, and how humans are very similar. Genetically, we are all 99.9% the same and it is only the .1% that makes us different. They had a lot of fun bringing all of the students together at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and talking about how that .1% of difference strengthens us.

Like Christa and all those at Hoosier Academies, we all need to team up to educate, raise awareness, and make a difference by putting an end to bullying. Did you sign the pledge below? Did you spread awareness of National Bullying Month in different ways? Tell us in the comments below, or show us by using hashtag #High5BullyFree. Together, we can put an end to bullying.