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THEY’VE SERVED TIME. WELL, MOST PEOPLE HAVE EITHER BEEN BULLIED OR BULLIED PEOPLE WHILE THEY WERE GROWING UP. YEAH, BUT ONE GROUP OF KIDS ARE BEING REWARDED FOR ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE THAT NARRATIVE. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOUND IN THE 20 2122 SCHOOL YEAR ABOUT 19%, 19.2% OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GRADES SIX THROUGH 12 WERE BULLIED, AND ROUGHLY 2 IN 3 REPORTED IT HAPPENED MULTIPLE DAYS. �������� 13, BRYCE OSELEN SPOKE WITH STUDENTS FROM BESSEMER CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL ON HOW THEY’RE SPEAKING UP AND PREVENTING VIOLENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. ANYTHING HURTS AND IT CAN DRIVE PEOPLE TO DO AWFUL THINGS TO THEMSELVES AND TO OTHER PEOPLE. BESSEMER CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WON THE 2025 NATIONAL PACERS BULLYING PREVENTION CONTEST. STUDENTS I SPOKE WITH SAY, SPEAKING UP IS THE FIRST STEP IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM. IT’S ABOUT THE POWER OF SPEAKING UP. LOVE, PEOPLE. RESPECT PEOPLE. AND IF YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING, STEP UP. TELL SOMEONE IN ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN. VIZZI YOUR COURAGE, KINDNESS, AND STANDING TOGETHER. THE SCHOOL WENT UP AGAINST 1000 SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO WIN THE COMPETITION. IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU CAN’T LET IT GET DEEP DOWN INSIDE YOU, BECAUSE IT’LL MAKE YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULDN’T DO. MORE THAN 90 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN CREATING A VIDEO MEANT TO PREVENT BULLYING ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT’S GOOD THAT WE ACCOMPLISH LIKE THAT VIDEO SO WE CAN SHOW PEOPLE THAT’S GETTING BULLIED. GO GET HELP. FOR US, IT’S JUST LIKE WE’RE FAMILY AND WE DON’T SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING AGAINST EACH OTHER. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER. TEACHERS SAY WINNING THE AWARD HAS GIVEN STUDENTS AN EXTRA BOOST OF CONFIDENCE WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY. THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SUCCEED, AND THE CLIMATE AND CULTURE THAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH WITH OUR STUDENTS, IS SOMETHING THAT IS PHENOMENAL. IT HAS EMPOWERED THEM, YOU KNOW, GIVING THEM A VOICE TO STAND UP AGAINST BULLYING, WHICH IS VERY PREVALENT. PRINCIPAL DOCTOR LISA HURD SAYS THE SCHOOL HOPES TO START A TREND OF PREVENTING BULLYING ACROSS THE GLOBE. OTHER EDUCATORS ENCOURAGE THE STUDENTS TO BUILD A VIDEO, BUT WE’RE GOING TO TOP IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR. IN