Bullying has long been a nationwide issue faced by students across various levels of schooling.

The nature of technological change and social media development has been so mutable that teachers and administrators have found it difficult to take reactionary measures against cyberbullying.

But at Springhouse and Orefield middle schools, teachers and administrators have taken a different approach to tackling the bullying issue, showing students why bullying is wrong and how to deal with it if it happens – a proactive mindset to addressing such a prevalent issue.

To further emphasize this point, both schools ran a campaign - Take a Stand - in an effort to end bullying.

Orefield began its bullying prevention initiative Sept. 15, with students taking part in class discussions regarding actions they could take if they see bullying or are bullied themselves.

Students were then given team-based activities to complete to show how different people bring different strengths to tackle a problem, such as solving puzzles to uncover portions of a code used to open a locked box with prizes.

Orefield also held Hula-Hoop races, sling shot races and presented a concert by “The Take a Stand” band formed entirely of dedicated Orefield teachers.

To conclude the event, students emptied out the bags, filled with scrambled phrases, they received through team-building exercises.

The first team to call into the TV studio with the correct unscrambled anti-bullying phrase won a pizza party.

Springhouse also had a variety of similar events to promote an environment unified against bullying.

Students heard from Joey Fay, a representative of the Travis Manion Foundation and a Parkland alumnus on the importance of character in life.

Students took pictures with their homerooms as part of the “United as One” campaign against bullying.

These photographs will be displayed in the newly christened Unity Hallway at Springhouse Middle School.

Bullying requires a multifaceted approach to combat, and Parkland’s middle school teachers understand this need.