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Anti-bullying rally held at Country Club Heights Elementary

LAWTON, Okla. – Nearly 200 students attended an assembly on bullying at Country Club Heights Elementary Friday.  The event was headed by the school's principal, but the special guest speakers were four Lawton Police Officers.

Not too long ago some of the students were having a big problem with bullying.  So, Principal Kerry Malakosky invited the officers in to talk to students before the problem could become too much to handle.

School should be a place filled with the fun and excitement of learning and being with friends.  And although that was the way this Friday started, within minutes Malakosky let students know they were there for a much more serious reason.

"We thought a good topic for schools would be the topic of bullying," Malakosky.

Malakosky says it is a plague among all schools these days.

"It does occasionally [happen] here at Country Club Heights, more often than what want [I'd] it to," said Malakosky.

Malakosky shared his own experience of never learning how to handle bullies and admitted to his audience that he has even been on the other end, making a female classmate feel bad.

"We picked on her, .myself included, through name calling and stuff like that.  I do not remember any of my teachers or my principal ever telling us to stop," said Malakosky.

But Malakosky is determined to stop it at his school, with the help of police officers.  Lawton Police Sgt. Tonya Criger says, while many students know some physical forms of bullying, like assault, it is the virtual forms that are more insidious.

"It's a lot easier to bully somebody when you're not looking at their face.  You don't get to see the reaction that you're causing.  You don't get to see the pain and the hurt and the suffering that you cause, because it's easy to get on, type away," said Criger.

And that is something many students in the room admit to.  Criger says many people would be surprised how rampant it is.

"We've been out to daycares talking about bullying.  It starts at a very young age and what we're trying to do is make a difference in their lives while they're younger.  So that when they grow up, they can pass on the values and morals to their kids," said Criger.

The educational program "Success by Six" was there as well.  They handed out books on anti-bullying and hope that it will encourage more kids to stand up against bullying.

Officials say more assemblies like these should help with problems on bullying, but they say parents and caregivers have the most influence.