Vol.121 No. 42 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 November 28 - December 4, 2010 ‘Darras Post. Serving the communities of the Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts | www.mydallaspost.com Bullying in school: Dallas administrators offer their opinions By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Kathleen McCarthy, principal of Wycallis Elementary, knows about bullying - she’s seen it first- hand as an administrator and when she was a child. “Someone wrote a book about ‘mean girls’ as if they invented it,” she said. “They’ve been around forever, even in the 1940s and 60s.” While the definitions of bully- ing have changed over the years, one thing is certain in the minds of Dallas School District adminis- trators - it’s still a problem in schools today. Early prevention The approach to handling con- flicts has transformed to tackle the problem before it even starts, and Superintendent Frank Gal- icki said it’s important to empha- size respect as the fundamental lesson for students to learn. “We have to lay the foundation in the lower grades so they can carry the skills with them throughout middle school and high school,” he said. Betsy Jerome, a guidance counselor at Dallas Elementary, said students are taught early - and often - that basic behaviors need to be learned to avoid bully- ing in future years. : The Dallas Post contacted Back Mountain school administrators for input regarding bullying in schools. This story contains in- formation from those who respon- ded to our request. “In kindergarten, there is a pro- gram that teaches kids about so- cial skills, self-control and how to ignore something they find an- noying,” she said. She said programs continue in different forms from kindergar- ten through fifth-grade to rein- force those initial lessons. “We preach to them, ‘Have you done everything you can do?” Je- rome said. “If students come to us for help, we ask them to go back and try those skills that they've learned.” She also said the school focus- es on building students’ self-con- fidence so they can assert them- selves in a conflict. “For kindergarten through sec- ond grade, we focus on ‘brave talk,” said Jerome. “It’s talking assertively to tell each other what they don’t like and learning how to deal with the situation and not become a victim.” Brian Bradshaw, Dallas High School assistant principal, said the strategy for eliminating bully- ing is digging down to find the underlying issue within the con- flict, which he said is more effec- tive than “bringing down the hammer.” “We have to boil it down ... things get blown out of propor- tion,” he said. “They realize that what happened wasn’t as big of a deal as they thought.” McCarthy said younger stu- dents need to understand respon- sibility when it comes to difficult situations. “They need to know the differ- ence between tattling and tell- ing,” she said. “Tattling is if they don’t like the way someone is looking at them. Telling is if someone hurts their feelings or hurts them physically. Telling is a responsibility.” Cyberbullying As students grow older, tech- nology becomes a more impor- tant part of their lives — and ad- ministrators say this offers anoth- er avenue for bullying, often called cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is using the In- ternet, whether it’s e-mail or so- cial networking sites, to cause in- tentional harm to another. Text messaging and smart phones al- so make cyberbullying a more ex- pedient - and damaging - form of bullying. See BULLYING, Page 11 READING WITH TUX Five-year-old Chloe Dudick gets a hug from Tux, mascot of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team, at the Back Mountain Memorial Library. Tux and two hockey players visited the library to promote the importance of reading. For additional photos, please turn to page 3. Tie OR BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST BACK MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP Harveys Lake may join BMT partnership By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Harveys Lake Borough may be the seventh municipality to join the Back Mountain Community Partnership. Francis Kopko, a council mem- ber from the borough, attended the partnership’s meeting on No- vember 18 to explore the possibil- ity of entering into the fraternal organization, which aims to pro- mote cooperation between mu- nicipalities within the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts. Kopko said he was at the meet- ing as an observer, but Harveys Lake Borough has always had an interest in participating. “We want to take advantage of the unity of this Back Mountain organization,” he said. Kingston Township Chairman James Reino Jr. said the protocol for joining the organization in- cludes receiving unanimous ap- proval from all participating mu- nicipalities. He added that the partnership’s mission is to streng- then support among Back Moun- tain communities. The current members of the partnership are Dallas Borough and Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman town- The next meeting of the Back Mountain Community Partnership will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16 in the Sandy & Marlene Insalaco Hall at Misericordia Uni- versity. ships. In other news ... ® Joe Chacke of the NEPA Alli- ance told the group that two bids have been received for the state Conservation Works! project, set to begin in Kingston and Lehman townships. The project aims to update municipalities in order to be more energy efficient. Chacke said the bid will be awarded in December. e The group voted to revise a drafted agreement in the pur- chase of a radar speed trailer for five of the municipalities. e The trailer will cost Dallas Borough and Dallas, Kingston, Jackson and Lehman townships $1,300 each, and Lehman Town- ship Supervisor Ray Iwanoski said the repairs for the trailer should also be shared equally. The written agreement stated that repairs would be covered by See HARVEYS, Page Ti Special kids are real ‘STARZ By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com The cheer of the Guided Starz, a cheering team for special needs children, is bold and brazen, ac- companied by inspirational hits like “Don’t Stop Believin™ by ‘80s rock band Journey and backed by danceable beats. “We are the Guided Starz, and we're here to shine. Open up your eyes, and let us blow your mind,” they sing. Lauren Konopke, 10, of King- ston, shimmies toward the center of the floor along with the others d is then hoisted to the top of the group as the team makes its final impression on the audience. “Starz!” they shout in unison. And judging by reactions from parents, coaches and cheering 09 8151200798 For more information about the Guided Starz or to contact Blanard, visit www.westsideallstarz.com. “buddies,” that’s just what they are. Coach Gina Masters, of Dallas, said the 3-year-old team has made a world of difference for her son, 7-year-old Logan, who has a rare condition called Smith-Ma- genis syndrome. Smith-Magenis syndrome is a developmental disorder due to a microdeletion within the 17th chromosome. According to the Parents and Researchers Inter- ested in Smith-Magenis Syn- drome (PRISMS) website, it is characterized by physical and be- havioral features such as subtle facial abnormalities, hoarse speech and hyperactivity. Masters said Logan, once a shy and reserved child, can now be seen running around during prac- tices at the Joan Harris Conserva- tory for the Arts in Luzerne and chatting up the girls on the team. “He loves being the center of attention,” she said. “He loves be- ing around the other kids.” The group has seven team members and nine team “bud- dies,” or cheerleaders from other teams within the West Side Starz organization who help the Guid- ed Starz with cheers. They prac- tice once a week at the Joan Har- ris Center, and some practices are more productive than others. “If they cooperate, we try to push them a little further,” said Masters, who just became the coach this year. “Some days we have more breaks than practice time.” On this particular day, team members practiced their cheer three times before breaking to play “Hide and Seek.” The week prior they had omitted practice completely, having performed for hundreds at the seventh annual Cougar Cheer and Dance Chal- lenge at Misericordia University. Konopke’s mother, Maria, said Lauren loves to cheer and is plagued with anticipation and ex- itement before each competi ERR CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Francesca Scarano is assisted by her friends Sabrina Scott and Amanda Josulevicz during a cheer- leading competition. tion. “She sleeps in her uniform,” said Maria. Lauren has a rare, unnamed condition characterized by the deletion of chromosome 10 at conception, which affects devel- opment and behavior in children. in’ said th . known about Lauren’s condition, and that she and her husband fo- cus on one day at a time. “We don’t know what's going to happen,” she said, honestly. At 10 years old, Lauren stands nearly a foot shorter than her 11- year-old “buddy” Morgan Sulli- f Forty Fort, but her d nor speaks otherwise. She’s front-and-center of the 16- member team during the cheer routine and high above the group during the finale. “She loves to dance and cheer,” her mother said.
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