‘Stand up, speak out, and be the difference’: Central Oregon rallies for change during National Bullying Prevention Month
(Update: adding video, adding comments from Crook County Middle School, NAMI of Central Oregon, and Bend-LaPine Schools)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- October is recognized nationwide as Bullying Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness about the impacts of bullying and the importance of creating safe, supportive environments. In Central Oregon, advocates, schools, and community organizations are working together to promote kindness, inclusion, and respect.
Across Central Oregon, schools are using this month to remind students that small acts of kindness make a big difference. At Crook County Middle School, students lead the anti-bullying effort. Principal Marques Hase spoke of the efforts with KTVZ News.
“We had our student advisory committee and our leadership students working with our counselors. They made some anti-bullying kindness posters, student-driven student-created. It's an anti-bullying, positive pro-kindness campaign of what we expect—to help each other, to be respectful, resilient, and responsible,” said Hase.
The “CC Way” teaches students to stand up, speak out, and be the difference. “Pushing students to use their peer influence for the positive, for the good of our CCMS community, is what we really want in our kids,” Hase added.
Nationally, about one in five students report being bullied each year, and experts say the effects go far beyond the classroom.
Devon Nelson-Harmon, community organizer with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Oregon, explained, “All kinds of consequences can and come from bullying. We design our sense of self around the way that we're treated by others. Because kids spend so much time at school and with their friends and teachers, that has a significant impact on a child's overall well-being and mental health.”
Nelson-Harmon also stressed the importance of opening conversations around mental health, especially in smaller, rural communities that may have fewer resources. “If we're not used to talking about mental health, it may be messy at first, and that's okay. Spread the word and be that example that it's okay to get help and talk about these things.”
In Bend-La Pine Schools, addressing bullying includes tackling the growing challenge of cyberbullying. Superintendent Scott Maben noted, “Nearly all teens today have access to the Internet, messaging apps, and social media, so the means are there. Cyberbullying can occur any time of day, and we find it often happens outside school hours. This is a challenge facing families and society generally, much broader than a school-level issue.”
To promote a positive, supportive culture of safety and belonging, the Bend-La Pine district has implemented an anti-bullying policy with behavior expectations and clear consequences as outlined in their Student Code of Conduct. They also provide safe reporting processes such as the SafeOregon tipline.
The district teaches students about positive norms, behavior expectations, and skills through interactive learning and peer modeling, including strategies for processing emotions like anger and promoting social skills. Interventions and support for both students who bully and those bullied include counseling, behavior support plans, and threat assessments.
The district emphasizes family engagement on spotting signs of bullying, behavior expectations, and how parents can be involved.
From posters to conversations, educators and advocates across the region are working to create spaces where every student feels supported, with prevention starting from awareness and real change emerging when kindness becomes the norm.
These collective efforts highlight how empowered students, supportive schools, and engaged communities are essential in fostering safer environments for all children in Central Oregon.
