Granvillle County students tackle bullying by making video
OXFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- Fifth graders from Granville County took on a tough assignment -- to stop bullying.
The class from West Oxford Elementary made a video to show how hurtful bullying can be. Their goal was to spread the anti-bullying messages by having their video go viral.
One of those fifth graders said she knows what it's like to be bullied.
"It was kind of hard because I was the new person in the classroom, and people were picking on me because of my size and my shape," ZyAsia Towler said.
Towler played a lead role in the anti-bullying video her class made. The video was inspired when students in Lesley Arthur's class brought up the topic and asked Arthur if she was ever bullied.
Click here to watch the full video.
"I said, 'Yes, it happens all over the world,'" Arthur said. "And then I thought, 'Hmm, we need to stop. This is a time where we need to have a discussion about bullying.'"
Arthur said making the video had a profound impact on her class.
Daniel Hoyle is a fifth grader in Arthur's class. He plays a bully in the project and said the role was tough because he would never bully anyone. Hoyle said he understands the harm it can cause others.
"It makes them feel like they're somebody that they're not," Hoyle said. "It makes them hide behind the mask, like in the video. It makes them feel bad about themselves."
As for Towler, she said participating in the project helped her push past some of her own insecurities.
"I've overcome my fear of doing the video and making other kids happy," Towler said.
