Theatre of Peace recently spent the day at Pacific Rim Elementary where we where we ran our anti-bullying assemblies for 800 students and 31 teachers. We performed both Act Like You Matter: Anti-Bullying Empowerment Assemblies and Baffle That Bully LIVE – Interactive Stage Play for K-3rd in the same day! 1st – 5th teachers met with our Director Amy Jones Anichini to select the bullying scenarios we would perform for their students and help us customize our content to best fit the needs of Pacific Rim’s students. Here’s a look at the day:
Baffle That Bully LIVE – Interactive Stage Play for K-3rd
Pacific Rim’s 1st-3rd graders got to experience Baffle That Bully LIVE. We had so much fun working this excited and engaged group of students! Here’s a peek at what these students participated in:
The Narrators and Game Teachers
Narrators (left to right) Caroline, Scarlett, and Brandon talk directly to the students in the audience throughout the performance: asking them questions, keeping them engaged, and making sure they understand the 3 steps to playing the game of Baffle That Bully.
A Little Humor Helps
Lots of humorous things happen on stage to keep the content age-appropriate and help ensure that the audience pays attention. This picture captures Brandon (far left) demonstrating good and respectful classroom behavior just before Jack (middle) and Robert (far right) start to bully him by teasing him about some artwork he drew in class. Brandon later follows the 3-step strategy and baffles them.
Brain Break!
A couple times during the performance, Scarlett, Brandon, and Caroline lead the students through a brain break: everyone jumps up, shouts, and shakes out the fidgets! Then, it’s easy to turn everyone’s attention back to the topic of bullying and what each of us can do to be part of the solution.
Exclusion
Samantha (second in from the right) and Olivia (far right) pretend to be Caroline’s friend, but they constantly exclude her. Scarlett (far left) notices what’s happening and follows the 3-step strategy to help Caroline (second in from the left). She pays Caroline a compliment and invites her to go play somewhere else. Throughout the scene, both girls treat Samantha and Olivia with kindness and never sink to their level. Samantha and Olivia are baffled as Caroline walks off happily with Scarlett.
Kids Who Bully CAN Choose to Change Their Behavior
In the last scene, Caroline, Brandon, and Scarlett talk to the audience about happiness and that it’s something you can choose for yourself. Happiness is a decision. They share some tips about what you can do to help yourself feel happier. Robert (far left) – who bullied both Brandon and Scarlett during the performance – admits that he didn’t know he could decide to be happy and choose to behave differently. He thanks Scarlett and gets his very own copy of “My Game Plan for Playing Baffle That Bully,” just like everyone in the audience.
Act Like You Matter: Anti-Bullying Empowerment Assembly for Older Elementary:
On the same day, we also ran our anti-bullying assemblies for all 4th and 5th graders at Pacific Rim. These students got to experience 8 different bullying scenarios and resolutions, including these:
Cyber-Bullying & Peer Pressure to Bully:
In this Scene, Sofie (2nd from left) creates a fake Instagram account for Zena (not pictured), so she and her friends can pose as Zena and post rude comments on other people’s pictures. Jordan (to the right of Sofie) and Eli (far right) eagerly join in. Riley (far left) tries to object but is silenced by the others and pressured into participating. Later, Riley calls Zena to tell her what happened, apologize, and brainstorm with her about how to fix the situation. It’s never too late to do the right thing.
Clique Behavior: You Can’t Dress Like Us
Nikki (far left), Sofie, and Zena give Jordan (far right) a hard time for wearing what they say is, “Their thing.” Jordan tries to brush them off, but they get more adamant and order her to go home and change. Jordan feels intimidated but decides to stand up for herself; she tells the clique that she can wear what she wants. Later, she decides for herself to never dress like them again because she doesn’t want anyone to think she’s friends with people who are so threatening and bossy.
Exclusion at Lunch: You Can’t Sit With Us
Stephen (standing) can never find a place where he feels welcome to have lunch. The boys talk about him and make fun of him until he leaves, and the girls ignore him, while they gossip about everyone. Jordan (far left) watches and empathizes with Stephen. When he takes the empty chair next to her, she starts up a casual conversation with him. They realize they have a lot in common. Sometimes, all you have to do is say, “Hi,” to someone who could use a friend. It might be exactly what they need to turn their day, and maybe even their life, around.
Student Facilitator Connecting with Students in the Audience
Even when we run our programs as an anti-bullying assemblies (as opposed to a smaller group workshops), there are still plenty of ways the students in the audience participate and stay engaged!
Thank you so much to Principal Robert Devich, all of the 1st – 5th teachers, and the PTO for welcoming us into your school. Your students were so respectful and lots of fun to work with! We loved seeing so much positive artwork by students (such as the one below) all over your campus:
We hope to see you again next year!