Putting a spotlight on bullying

During her freshman year, Katie Boyer said she suffered so much emotional damage from bullying that she had to transfer schools.

"People would call me mean names in the hallway. People I had never met before were judging me," said Boyer, a senior now.

After switching from a private school to Cape Girardeau Central High School, she said she is much happier, but still doesn't know why people would intentionally try to damage her reputation. She said she thinks most people turn a blind eye to bullying or don't recognize it as such.

"I think that girls think it's just gossip. I don't think they realize they are really bullying someone, and they are hurting their self-esteem," she said.

In January, Boyer was selected as Miss Teen Missouri International. She has made anti-bullying her platform, creating a Web site, talking to administrators and trying to spread awareness.

Her Web site, www.studentsagainstbullying.org., lists her top 10 commandments about bullying, with phrases like "bullying is not a normal part of growing up" and "it is not tattling to tell an adult." The site also explains what constitutes bullying and what to do if it occurs.

Pete Frazier, assistant principal of Central High School, said he has met with Boyer and has been able to use some of her "in-depth material" to give to parents or students. Central has an anti-bullying policy where each case is handled depending on the situation, but generally starts with a conference with the student and parent.

"Bullying has been going on for decades and centuries. We're noticing now that bullying is coming in the form of text messages, voice mails or e-mails," he said. The Megan Meier case, where a suburban St. Louis teenager hanged herself in 2006 as a result of a cyber hoax, has led to calls nationwide for laws to protect children online. Frazier said it is generally easier to discipline a student for online bullying because of the paper trail.

Next year bullying will be a topic of discussion in Preparing for Success classes, which will be required of all freshmen at Central. "We want students to recognize what it is and the ramifications of it," Frazier said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123