Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo’s Office
Sen. Addabbo congratulates Sam Verstandig on a job well done with the Mix It Up club.
By Forum Staff
There’s no mix-up when it comes to bullying. More than 3 million kida are the victims of bullying every day in the U.S. and about 160,000 teens skip school on a daily basis because of it. And when it comes to conveying that message, Sam Verstanding, 8th grader, a student at Yeshiva of Central Queens means business.
Sam is the president of the anti-bullying club at the school and recently met with Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach), to raise awareness and further the cause to stop bullying.
Sam attended the senator’s mobile office hours at the Forest Hills Library to discuss the school’s Mix It Up club, whose goal it is to teach tolerance of others and embrace each others differences. Additionally, the club focuses on teaching students how to react when others are bullyed.
“Too often, we see young lives lost far too soon due to bullying, and with the advancements in technology, our kids are now more vulnerable to experience mean and unfriendly behavior than ever before,” said Addabbo.
The club’s outreach efforts have included a Mix It Up at Lunch Day encouraging students to sit with other students at lunch instead of their normal group of friends. Sam has organized ice breakers to help classmates gets to know each other, as well as holding a moment of silence for all the children who lost their lives due to bullying.
Now, the club has become so popular, it no longer has the space or resources to accommodate everyone who wants to join. Sam has prepared a schedule and a budget for fundraising and events throughout this school year that he is working on with faculty and students.
With more than seventy percent of students reporting incidents of bullying as a problem at their school, it continues to plague the American school system. Only 10% of students from the 4th through the 8th grades do not report having been bullied. Studies show that physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school. Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.
One in 10 students drop out of school because of repeated bullying.
“I am so proud to see not only the dedication Sam has put into building this club, but also the immense amount of interest that his classmates have in joining and helping to spread the message about how harmful bullying can really be,” Addabbo said. “As the father of two young girls, I understand the importance of teaching children to celebrate each other’s difference rather than criticize them.”
Those who wish to find out more information about the Mix It Up club at Yeshiva or Central Queens should visit http://ycqmixitup.weebly.com/.
