Three schools in Rocky View will bring guest speaker Josh Drean to give unique talks on the issue of bullying.

Students at Bearspaw School, Mitford School and Bert Church High School will benefit from Drean's high-energy presentations on March 2 and 3, which include dancing, beatboxing and lots of laughter.

"What he does is he draws on both his college mascot experience as well as a background in psychology to share really effective strategies and skills that we all need to help eliminate bullying," said Bert Church Principal Laurie Johnston.

"A lot of anti-bullying programs and speakers focus on the negatives, like abuse and suicide," said Drean, "Research shows that when we focus on the negatives, the results are negative. My program seeks to reinforce positive behaviours in students by inspiring them to choose to be kind and respectful."

Johnston's long career as an educator leads her to agree with Drean.

"We laugh together but we really learn together, and with that positive emotion we are motivated to make change. When it's the scare tactics, doom and gloom, quite often just like many people, kids are going to check out on that."

Bert Church will also host a special parents' session with Drean on the evening of March 2, which will aim to equip parents to stop bullying behaviour at home. Johnston says it is vital for schools and parents to work together to eliminate bullying.

"Sometimes we have different behaviours at home than we have at school or vice versa, so it's our coming together to make sure that we're always acting in ways that best support others."

Among the topics, Dearn will provide tips on monitoring your kids' interactions, including on social media.

 

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