When a review of climate data showed that bullying was the area that received the lowest satisfaction rating with students, parents and staff at Hamilton Middle School, the school took action.

Almost immediately, Brian Koenig, with K-12 Associates, led an in-service presentation focusing on three specific areas: the bully, the bullied, and the bystander. An ad hoc committee, Respect Our Community (ROC), began work on a plan to confront bullying head on.

On Jan. 31, all students spent the morning in their homerooms. With adult facilitators, the entire student body viewed "Let's Get Real", a powerful video on bullying. Activities and discussion guides provided by the ROC team followed, with students having frank conversations about the dynamics of bullying.

Many students voiced the thought that bullying is "just a part of school life and nothing can be done about it." A school-wide brainstorming session on how to reduce or eliminate bullying proved otherwise, with the results posted for all students to see. Ongoing activities, such as role playing, were developed by the ROC team and are regularly used in homerooms.

A parent night, facilitated by a parent from the school's climate committee, to share and discuss the video, was held on Feb. 2. Those attending indicated that when it comes to bullying, Hamilton is on the right track.

But the work has only just begun. The ROC team has plans for an anti-harassment / bullying section in the library. Students have created anti-bullying posters for the halls. And the school is developing curricular connections.

Hamilton realizes that a commitment to eliminating bullying must be part of a school's culture to be successful. Special assemblies are not enough.

"Bullying," says Hamilton sixth grade teacher Maggie Owen, "does not have to be a right of passage."