Whiz Kid Of The Week: John Campbell

John Campbell doesn’t like bullies. In fact, he hates them. And unlike so many others, he is doing something about it.

“Many bullies have something bad in their lives, so they take it out on somebody else,” Campbell said. “I feel bad for the person getting picked on… but sometimes I feel bad for the bully too.”

The Clark Lane Middle School sixth-grader is part of the youth action council, a group of middle school students dedicated to stopping drugs and addressing issues they face. For Campbell, it is bullying.

“It’s just something I wish would go away,” he said.

Students are often teased by other students, and occasionally it gets physical, Campbell said. It has to stop, he said.

To address the issue, Campbell, along with the other six students in the group, talks about how to fix the problems. The key is to lead by example by not doing it yourself and telling an adult if somebody else does it, he said.

What Middle School Students Are Bullied About

Guys bully other guys for many things, such as sports or even clothes, Campbell said. You have to dress right to not get bullied, he said.

“Guys will act real cool if they have the flat-brimmed hats,” he said. “And say you are wearing Sketchers instead of Jordans, they’ll say something about that.”
Kids who are good at sports and who have a girlfriend will be seen as cooler and are more likely to bully other kids, Campbell said. Sometimes it gets physical, he said.

“Sometimes will have somebody push us into a locker or something like that,” he said. “Usually it is just teasing, though.”

The youth action council meets once a week after school at the youth services building. The program is paid for through a federal grant intended to keep kids off of drugs.