Linnea Jagenberg, 10: program has made her “less shy and more confident.” WestportNow.com photo from School Television
UPDATE Parents and students made emotional pleas to the Westport Board of Education tonight to retain the Kool To Be Kind (K2BK) anti-bullying program for third graders.
A high school mentor in the program told of being bullied in elementary school and having his lunch stolen every day. Another said his tormentor made “Greens Farms Elementary School my own living hell.” They both said they gained immense satisfaction helping today’s third graders cope with bullying.
Linnea Jagenberg, 10, a fifth grader at Long Lots Elementary School, said the program “has made a great impact on my life” and taught her “many ways to stand up for people and myself.”
“It has made me less shy and more confident,” she said. “I don’t feel I will get bullied for standing up for what is right. I’ve started to look at my life at a different point of view after third grade.”
Staples High School junior Sebastian Hood said bullying was something with which he was all too familiar.
“Unfortunately, throughout my childhood I was the victim of relentless bullying,” he said. “I’d be targeted for seemingly insignificant things -– my hair was too long, my shirt was the wrong color, I was eating the wrong things for lunch.
“I just wanted to be a normal kid and objectively I was, but that didn’t stop my tormentors from making Greens Farms Elementary School my own living hell.
“It got to the point where I would come home every day crying and beg my parents never to make me go to school ever again. My experience has motivated me to joint Kool to Be Kind.
“So I am sure you can imagine how heartbroken I was when I learned that Dr. Landon plans to cut K2BK from Westport schools next year.”
Ingi Soliman spoke as the mother of a second grader and a clinical psychologist in her plea to save the program.
“In my practice I see the effects of unkind behavior on young people,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “The children feel there is no way out and sometimes they hurt themselves – to the point of a tragedy.”
Developed four years ago by four Westport women and professionals, the program is an empathy-based program that involves members of the Staples High School Kool to be Kind Club. It was inspired by the Anti-Defamation League’s program for older children.
The public comments in the “non-agenda” portion of the meeting were in response to Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon’s plan to cut the K2BK program in favor of a “responsive classroom program” serving kindergarten through fifth grade. He told tonight’s meeting it “is considered the premier program for dealing with bullying in the entire country.”
Referring to K2BK, Landon said, “This was not a program that was approved or endorsed by the Board of Education. It was started four years ago as a pilot program.”
Board member Michael Gordon said he “was very moved” by the comments of parents and students.
He suggested the issue be discussed as an agenda item at a future meeting “to see if we can come up with some sort of solution so that we don’t lose in the future what these kids received.”
Board member Mark Mathias noted the board could not engage tonight with the public on the matter because it was not on the agenda.
I was shocked and saddened to learn that K2BK was in danger of being cut from the Westport schools. As both a parent volunteer for K2BK and a parent of one of the founding teen mentors for this program four years ago, I have seen just how innovative and effective this program is for all involved. What makes this program truly unique is that the younger students learn from and strive to emulate the kind behavior modeled by their teen mentors who, in turn, get a refresher course on empathy and kindness themselves, through the interactive lessons they lead in the classrooms.
As was evident from the impassioned speeches and tremendous turn-out of support by students and parents at last night
Clearly, as a pilot program, it had a positive impact on many parents and kids alike. I think the psychological principles on which this program is based are sound, well thought through and truly provide the intended outcome. The program creates the awareness and skill set at key ages of development, so that kids can gain the confidence to manage all the inevitable cliques and social dynamics that are part of school life. Bravo to the leaders of this program, and to the school system for nurturing and supporting it. It makes me proud to live in Westport. And I really hope that the Board of Ed is able to find a way to help it evolve so that they do endorse it.
There is absolutely no possibility of a program taught by adults having the same effect as the current K2BK program. What kid wants to take advice from a middle aged (100 year old in the eyes of an eight year old) teacher or
It is clearly time for Mr. Landon to hang his hat. This is the single most important topic of a young persons life in 2014, as we have seen the significant impact bullying has on our students health and well-being. The idea that Mr. Landon knows better than the kids who are ‘out in the trenches’ when it comes to the validity of this program is beyond belief. And we keep raising this mans salary?
As a Westport parent I have been proud that our public schools were supporting the K2BK program. In the short time since introduction of K2BK, it has already had a very favorable impact, based on numerous positive, enthusiastic anecdotes I have heard over the past couple of years from parents of both elementary school and high school students participating in the program. The K2BK program supports the Board of Education