One student is called a loser on Facebook. Another is rejected or considered an outcast because of the way she looks. A third is picked on because he seems weaker. These are just some of the common types of bullying that occur on and off campus. In order to address this problem, administration, with the support of a new grant, have set a goal to stop the disturbing behavior on campus before it escalates to outside school grounds.

In order to educate students on this goal, administration is implementing programs such as conflict mediation and Link crew or even just the parent involvement. The funding for these programs is the safety grant, also known as the S3 grant. Which stands for Safe and Secure Schools.

This grant, awarded at the start of the year, amounts to $450,000 over the course of three years. This money covers interventions, programs, projects and assemblies.

These assemblies come in the form of bullying workshops. These workshops, specifically directed towards freshman, had eye opening presentations. By showing the extremes bullying can lead to, the assembly strongly affected students. “It opened my eyes to see that bullying can increase to drastic measures,” said freshman Arriana Smith.

One of the other goals of the grant  is to help the students feel more comfortable on school campus. Last year student surveys revealed that there was a big need to feel safer and more connected. “If the students feel more supported, they will be more motivated to be a part of school,” said grant coordinator Linda Roberts.

Being supported and motivated not only helps students raise their self esteem but also their grades. In order to carry this out, Link crew has set their goal to help the incoming freshman make  a  smoother transition from eighth grade into high school. Along with this smoother transition, the freshmen will have help if they are struggling academically or socially.

There are many problems that teachers and administration worry about fixing on campus such as increasing student’s grades and bettering teaching methods. However, until this year there hasn’t been a major focus on the problems that result from bullying.

The grant allows students  to have more of an emphasis on getting the message out there about the violence that is happening here, on campus.

Roberts brings a new sense of hope along with the implementation of the grant. She has high expectations for the positive impact of the grant on students. Not only on Stagg’s campus, but out in the community as well. “If they’re making better choices at school, they’re making better choices out in the community.”