News
Mohonasen takes on cyber bullying
April 24, 2009
| More cyber bullying resources |
Mohonasen sophomore Shannon Vandebogart says she gets a “bad” text message at least once a day. They are never directed at her, she says, but they are always about someone else at the high school—rumors, gossip, lies and jokes.
Ask any Mohonasen High School or Draper Middle School student if these types of text messages, e-mails or messages on Web sites like MySpace or Facebook are something they are familiar with, chances are they will laugh that you even had to ask.
 |
| A group of 24 Mohonasen freshman and sophomores recently completed a cyber bullying training with the Anti-Defamation League. |
According to WiredKids, Inc., “'cyber bullying’ is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones.”
Sophomore Sam Maurice says that Mohonasen students live in the perfect environment for cyber bullying and “sexting” (the practice of sending nude or partially nude photographs in a cell phone text message) because “everybody knows everybody and everybody zeros in on it.”
Maurice and Vandebogart were part of a group of 24 Mohonasen high schoolers who attended a cyber bullying training with the Anti-Defamation League this spring, thanks to sponsorship provided by Price Chopper. High school social worker Diane Blinn said the school selected a variety of 9th and 10th graders who are all seen as leaders in their respective peer groups to be part of the training.
Sophomore Savannah Chinski said that through the training she realized that cyber bullying goes on all the time, but in a lot of ways kids don’t identify it as being what it is.
“When you see something every day you don’t recognize it because you’re so used to it,” she said. “But we learned that if you see it going on, you really can’t ignore it.”
Blinn pointed out that young people are very impulsive.
“They think that in the moment something feels right, adult or sexy,” she said. “Technology is so accessible and in the moment and that’s why this is such a problem.”
Also this past spring, Mohonasen School Resource Officer Mike Rumbaugh brought Jeff Scholz, an investigator with the NYS Police Computer Crimes Unit to both Mohonasen High School and Draper Middle School. He talked to 7th, 8th and 10th graders about harassment and bullying through social networking Web sites like MySpace and Facebook, as well as general Internet safety.
He also talked to students about the law, making sure they are aware that even though they may be under 16 they can still get arrested for crimes committed using technology. This is especially true when it comes to “sexting.”
“It’s one thing when you are talking about a nine-year old,” Rumbaugh said. “But some of the kids don’t think it’s a big deal if the student in the photo is 15. But it is a big deal.”
This is the second time that Scholz has visited Mohonasen, thanks to Rumbaugh and former SRO Tom Culbert. Rumbaugh said he’s always posting articles outside his office about cyber bullying and sexting – and quite often he sees students taking the time to stop and read them.
“I don’t think they give it enough thought when they are on the computer or when they have a cell phone in their hand,” he said. “It doesn’t occur to them that they might be committing a crime.
“So much of this is a product of the age we’re in right now – the electronics age. Its second nature to these kids,” he added.
So what’s to be done about all of this? The students who attended the Anti-Defamation League training summed it up in one word – action.
The students said that cyber bullying happens in waves and it is most common when students are home on school breaks or during the summer. Something will happen, they said, like a boyfriend and girlfriend will get into a fight, and it will all go downhill from there.
“Let’s face it, teenagers are most dangerous when bored,” Maurice said.
And who cyber bullies more—boys or girls? According to the Mohonasen students, both sides are just as guilty.
“Girls are more creative,” sophomore Mike Rrozinski said. “But the guys can be harsher.”
