Mabry Middle School Battles Bullying

The Northeast Cobb school will be recognized as a No Place for Hate school today.

Northeast Cobb’s Mabry Middle School will be named a No Place for Hate school by the Anti-Defamation League at a ceremony this morning. The ceremony comes a week after East Cobb’s Wheeler High School celebrating becoming the first high school in the Cobb County School District to earn the designation. The ADL's No Place for Hate program has spread to more than 160 schools in the Southeast and moved nationwide since launching out of the group’s Buckhead office in 2007. The program encourages students, teachers, administrators and parents to be proactive in minimizing racial and ethnic name-calling, epithets, bias and bullying. The program also provides guidelines for holiday observances that respect the diversity of cultural and religious …

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Addison Elementary's 'Munch and Mingle'

Attend a free workshop about bullying Jan. 24 from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. at the Addison Media Center.

Addison Elementary School’s counseling department and PTA are offering a free workshop to interested parents on bullying. It takes place Jan. 24 from 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. at the Addison Media Center located at 3055 Ebenezer Rd. in Marietta. Guest speaker Jeff Dess is a Prevention Specialist from Psych-Centric, author, consultant, and inspirational speaker. He has been working with kids, teens and young adults for over 25 years. Dess will share tips and strategies for bullying prevention. There will also be an opportunity to ask Dess questions at the workshop end. Light refreshments will be served. Please feel free to invite friends who you feel this would benefit. The workshop is being held for adults only. Please arrange babysitters …

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Kids Health and Nutrition

Dating Violence in Teens

Learn about dating violence in teens and how to prevent it from happening to your adolescent.

I recently wrote about bullying and realized that teasing and name calling is also a characteristic of dating violence. Attitudes that bullying behaviors are socially acceptable can lead to violence over a lifetime. Someone from my high school class, who experienced physical violence from her boyfriend, three decades later is divorced with a history of physical and psychological abuse with different men. Many gentle readers will have no difficulty recalling similar situations from their high school experiences. The fact is that many adolescents do not report dating violence for many of the same reasons adult women and men do not report abuse. The reasons range from embarrassment, social ostracism and ambivalence, to name a few. According …

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Marilyn Kontrafouris-Eleftheriou RN,MN

12:52 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012

This article has generated more tweets and recommends than expected. I believe that these tweets suggest that violence in teen dating is more prevalent than most of us believe. Have you talked to your children today about dating violence?   more ›

Kids Health and Nutrition

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A Case of Bullying

Do you recall the old Gene Autry Christmas carol "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" Shed some new light on an old tale for a 21st century paradigm shift.

Imagine that you have some characteristic that is prominent. This difference in appearance causes you to be ridiculed and leads to your ostracism. I have just described the plight of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It's a classic case of bullying incorporated into our cultural folklore. A psychologist named George Giuliani has brought this beloved Christmas tale into the light of examination.  He has just written a children’s book No More Bullies at the North Pole. This book addresses the unfair behaviors bestowed upon Rudolph the proboscisally challenged reindeer. It is thought provoking for young and old alike. In the original tale, Rudolph’s nose causes him to stand out among his peers. His difference causes him to be ridiculed and …

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Marilyn Kontrafouris-Eleftheriou RN,MN

10:41 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Empathy, compassion and sharing are taught and are not inherent characteristics in children. Children learn through example. Are parents being the best role models? Many bullies come from a home environment where violence is present. What about passive aggression? Children are a quick study and very often mirror behaviors that are displayed in the home.   more ›