Daily Five: Cracking Down On Bullies

1. Showers are expected today and will continue into tonight, according to the National Weather Service. The high will be 72 and the low 65, according to the service.

2. At Wednesday night’s youth service advisory board meeting, the group discussed how to cut down on bullying within the schools. The guest was Superintendent Jerome Belair, who said bullying has become a major focus of schools across the country and is something that needs to be addressed.

Belair said the best way to combat bullying is to use the George Carlin philosophy: Use simple non-euphemistic language. For example, say things like “That is mean,” which make it clear to everybody that the behavior is not okay.

High School Dean of Students Gene Ryan said bullying is an issue, like it is in every school. And girls are often more guilty of it than boys, he said. Girls are particularly inclined to cyberbully and then they make alliances with other girls, who cyberbully other groups of girls, he said.

Police Youth Officer Nicole VanOverloop echoed that, saying the stereotypical meek girl who is picked on is something that doesn’t happen much anymore. Instead, it is what Ryan said: groups of girls bullying back and forth.

“The victim becomes the offender from week to week,” VanOverloop said.

The school will do its best to create a safe environment, Belair said. Not only will teachers talk about not bullying, but bystanders will say something when somebody is being bullied, Belair said. 

3. Solar Fabrications, on the Cross Road in Waterford, is moving to the back of its building and welcoming a tenant to the front, Town Planner Mark Wujtewicz said. Maine Oxy, a company specializing in specialty gases and welding products, is moving into the front of the building, he said.

4. Two meetings tonight of interest. The first is the first board of education meeting of the school year. The group will vote on a draft set of goals for the school year, including setting up a finance committee and allowing for more private donations and possibly advertising as a means to raise funds.

Also tonight, the conservation commission meets to discuss the on the high school project.

5. On this date in 1776, the British hang Nathan Hale for espionage. He would later be designated the state hero of Connecticut. And on this date in 1975, Sara Jane Moore shoots at President Gerald Ford, missing him by six inches. When she tried to shoot again, Marine Oliver Sipple jumped on her and knocked the gun away, saving Ford’s life.

Quote of the Day

“At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.”

-George Carlin

Trivia of the Day

What military weapon was developed to circumvent trench warfare, and was successful?

Yesterday’s Answer: “The Jungle” was the title of Upton Sinclair’s 1906 book on the food industry that caused a national outcry.