Knighthawks Players Talk To Students About Bullying
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: January 14, 2013
Players with the Rochester Knighthawks visited Burger Middle School in Henrietta Monday. They are raising awareness about bullying.
Players Joe Walters and Tyler Burton led the assembly in front of 300 middle school students. The Knighthawks are part of the "We Got Your Back" program. Both players gave students tips on how to handle bullying situations and what to do if you are being bullied. At the end of the program, students signed an anti-bullying pledge which will be put on display at the middle school. Walters said it is the team's duty to step up and take a stand against the growing problem.
"The main thing I want to get across is to be vocal if you are being bullied. If you see someone being bullied, speak up. I think that's the one main thing kids need to realize. If you maintain being quiet, if you see it and you don't tell someone, that's when it can progress and become awful," Walters said.
"Our kids want to hear that message. sometimes hearing it from a different person, especially professional athletes it seems to stick really well with those kids and they're bringing a really positive message about bullying and giving them some strategies about what to do when life throws a curve at you," principal Greg Lane said.
Both Walters and Burton agree bullying is a problem that is hard to ignore. Reports say about 30 percent of students in 6th through 10th grades in the U.S. are bullied on a regular basis.
Players Joe Walters and Tyler Burton led the assembly in front of 300 middle school students. The Knighthawks are part of the "We Got Your Back" program. Both players gave students tips on how to handle bullying situations and what to do if you are being bullied. At the end of the program, students signed an anti-bullying pledge which will be put on display at the middle school. Walters said it is the team's duty to step up and take a stand against the growing problem.
"The main thing I want to get across is to be vocal if you are being bullied. If you see someone being bullied, speak up. I think that's the one main thing kids need to realize. If you maintain being quiet, if you see it and you don't tell someone, that's when it can progress and become awful," Walters said.
"Our kids want to hear that message. sometimes hearing it from a different person, especially professional athletes it seems to stick really well with those kids and they're bringing a really positive message about bullying and giving them some strategies about what to do when life throws a curve at you," principal Greg Lane said.
Both Walters and Burton agree bullying is a problem that is hard to ignore. Reports say about 30 percent of students in 6th through 10th grades in the U.S. are bullied on a regular basis.
