Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson is participating in a pair of programs designed to address peer victimization and bullying in elementary schools.

Sehdzea Gargan holds the WITS (walk away, ignore, talk it out and seek help) special constable badge that RCMP Const. Trish Clough gave her during the official launch of the WITS Programs at Bompas Elementary School on Feb. 11. The primary and LEADS (look and listen, explore points of view, act, did it work and seek help) programs are designed to address peer victimization and bullying in elementary schools. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The WITS Programs were created, in part, by the University of Victoria, in B.C.

The Dehcho Divisional Education Council suggested that schools in the district sign up for the programs, said Nancy Noseworthy, the principal at Bompas Elementary School.

"We decided this was the right program for us at this point," she said.

The WITS acronym stands for walk away, ignore, talk it out and seek help.

These are also the options that the programs, primary for kindergarten to Grade 3 and LEADS (look and listen, explore points of view, act, did it work and seek help) for Grade 4 to 6, teaches students to use to deal with bullying.

The WITS message will be reinforced at Bompas Elementary through books and other literature provided by the programs for teachers to use in classrooms.

RCMP Const. Trish Clough and Const. Tom Dadaos have volunteered to be community liaisons and will visit the school to remind students of the WITS process and how to use it.

Noseworthy said the programs will supplement steps the school has already taken to address bullying.

There is less bullying in the school than in the past, but it does still happen, she said.

Verbal insults, name-calling and racial slurs are more common than physical bullying, but can be just as harmful.

"It stays with kids more often than the push or the shove," she said.

One of the WITS messages the school will be promoting particularly is "seek help." Often students tell their parents about bullying, but not their teachers, said Noseworthy.

"It's important kids realize we are here to help them and to ask for that help," she said.

The programs were officially launched at the school's moose feast on Feb. 11. All of the students in kindergarten to Class 4 learned the secret WITS handshake and code word, how to stand at attention and salute.

They then swore an oath promising to use the WITS model before being given plastic WITS special constable badges.

As part of the program, older students in classes 5 and 6 have become WITS leaders, who will support the younger students. All of the students have already completed a pre-WITS survey on their attitudes towards bullying and where they see it happening.

The school will receive a report on the surveys that will be used to address existing bullying, said Noseworthy. The students will complete a second survey in June to see if their attitudes and behaviours towards bullying and peer victimization have changed.

Based on the results from that survey the school will continue to address bullying, although not necessarily with the WITS programs, Noseworthy said.

Elizabeth Hardisty, the chair of the District Education Authority in Fort Simpson, said she is pleased to see the school doing more to deal with bullying.

"I think it's a long time in coming," she said. "There was always bullying and hopefully this will start to address it."

Hardisty said the school has already taken some steps in this direction, such as the bullying awareness day held last year.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.