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Pinewood students wowed by anti-bullying assembly

Sept. 25, 2008

 

No bullies allowed!

That was the message to Pinewood students on Sept. 25, when they were treated to a special Character Counts assembly with Cris Johnson - an educational speaker and magician. Through a series of magic tricks and lots of audience participation,  Johnson relayed a message of self-respect, respect of others and acceptance.

"It doesn't matter what kinds of shoes somebody has or how much they weigh, or anything like that," he said. "All that matters is how we treat people and how they treat us."

He also said that it doesn't matter where you are - on the bus, at school, right in front of someone or on the Internet - you always need to respect other people.

"Some people think it's funny, that they can tease other people over the Internet because it's so far away that it doesn't matter," Mr. Johnson said. "Think about if it were you, would you want to open up your e-mail and get a message from somebody and them making fun of you?

"So it's really important when we're sending messages to each other on the Internet, or if we're on the bus, or wherever we are, remember one thing - that no matter where we are or who we talk to, we always want to be kind to people and make people feel good about themselves all the time."

Mr. Johnson's presentation was filled with magic - from magically pulling scarves and eggs from his sleeves to card tricks, Pinewood students were in awe of the illusions occurring right in front of their eyes. One of Mr. Johnson's trick's involved a few pieces of toilet paper, which he had put into his mouth. As he pulled the paper, it turned into a colorful rope that just kept coming and coming from his mouth. When it was all done, there were several feet of colored rope laying on the floor.

The different colors, he said, represent how different people are from one another.

"This world is better because everybody is different. How boring would it be if everybody looked exactly the same? If everybody talked exactly the same? It would be boring," Mr. Johnson said. "So, it's good that we're all good and different things."

Mr. Johnson then, with the help of three students, told a story of three knights who were sent to slay a dragon. The knights, he said, could seem to work together and therefore were unsuccessful. It wasn't until they came together and worked as a team that they were able to slay the dragon."

"Only by working together can we solve the bullying problem," he said.

Mr. Johnson offered students three tips when it comes to dealing with bullies:

• Go to an adult;

• Stay with a friend; and

• Stay away from the bully.

"The bullying problem is a problem for all of us, so when someone is having a hard time you need to help them out by telling a trusted grown up," he said. "Nobody deserves to live in fear. Always go and see a trusted adult if you're having problems."

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