LBHS students talk bullying at Hofstra

“I feel like we can make a change,” said 15-year-old Long Beach High School student Shannon Somdergaard of efforts being made at the school to address bullying. “We can try to stop all of these terrible things from happening to other kids.”

On March 29, members of the school’s Anti-Bullying Club — a group of nearly 30 students who are dedicated to finding ways to address and resolve bullying in schools — were key presenters at the Long Island Youth Safety Coalition Internet Safety and Bullying Prevention Conference at Hofstra University, along with members and school officials from other school districts in Long Island.

More than 100 people packed a small conference room, including Dean of Students Phil Bruno and counselor Jaclyn Gallinaro — both club advisors — and high school principal Dr. Gaurav Passi. Also on hand were Long Beach Police Department officer Allan Alexandre and Inspector John Radin, who have been working with the students in preparation for the conference and have helped develop the club’s strategies.

There, members of the club — which members said is the first of its kind in Nassau County — performed a self-scripted dramatization, where students acted out a bullying situation. In the skit, while one student was being picked on, others were able to come to a resolution to help the student in need.

Additionally, several members of the club spoke out about their personal experiences with bullying, while school officials spoke about the club’s significance.

The event was geared toward educators, guidance counselors and school officials from other school districts in an effort to help them understand the dangers of bullying and to help them learn about warning signs so that they can identify if students are being bullied and how they can help those who are victims.

Student Maria Krzeminski, 15, who said she has been bullied at the high school and has been a victim of bullying since the eighth grade, spoke about her experiences at the conference.

“I spoke about what happened to me . . . what was going on since the eighth grade,” Krzeminski said. “It was a bit upsetting for me at first. It was sad, but it did get positive at the end.”

The club was launched last fall after Krzeminski came up with the idea and approached Bruno. The meetings, she said, continue to attract students at the high school. Krzeminski said that though the conference was both uplifting and saddening — in speaking of her past, she said she relived painful moments from when she was bullied — members of the club were encouraging and gave her with the confidence to share her story with others.

“They were actually really proud,” she said. “They were glad I spoke out [about my experiences].”

Somdergaard, a member of the club who said she is a victim of bullying, said that while it was hard to hear Krzeminski speak about her past, she and other members of the club are happy to be able to listen and support one another.

“We learn about different cases of bullying, and different reactions to bullying,” she said. “We also usually have police officers come in and talk about how we can help others.”

During the conference, Gallinaro discussed the initiatives that the high school has implemented to help those who are being bullied, including hanging a copy of their anti-bullying pledge in the school, which was signed by members of the club and many of their classmates.

In addition, she noted, forms are now available for students at the high school that can be submitted anonymously to inform staff of bullying incidents, or any act of bullying they may have seen or heard about. Gallinaro also said the club plans to create its own website.

“The future goal of our ABC (Anti-Bullying Club) website will be to have a place where students, faculty and members of the community can write in anonymously and tell us what is going on in school,” Gallinaro said.

Bruno said that it is important for students to take action if they feel something is wrong. “Hopefully, by putting a value on these tools that they need to succeed in life, we will keep this ball rolling and get Long Beach in a place where we all believe it can be,” Bruno said.

Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach), described those students who spoke about their personal experiences as “courageous,” and said bullying has become an issue that needs to be discussed in greater detail among school districts.

“[Bullying] is not [just] in the school halls, but on the internet as well,” Ford said. “It is a problem that has become more wide spread and it is something we must work against.”

Passi said after the conference that the club’s grassroots effort have had a tremendous impact on the climate and culture of the school. “They have empowered other students to act responsibly and not to be bystanders,” Passi said.

Comments about this story? CEngelhardt@liherald.com or (516)-569-4000 ext. 207.