Bullies beware: how one school stood up to bullies.

When 13-year-old Julianna Yandrofski goes to school, she wants to feel safe. "If you're being bullied, you can't concentrate on school," she says. "You might get a D in a class because you're so worried about defending yourself."

Officials at Julianna's Maryland school couldn't agree more. "We're all about kids learning and having a positive experience," says Bernard Pond, assistant principal of West Frederick Middle School. "When they feel afraid, we take it personally. Our feelings are hurt too.

Yet, Pond adds, every middle school struggles with bullying. In a recent study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, almost 17 percent of U.S. students in grades 6 through 10 said that they had been bullied. Students in grades 6 through 8 reported the most incidents.

The "Bully Box"

In 2002, West Frederick launched an antibullying program to help combat the problem. At the beginning of the school year, students sign a contract (binding agreement). They pledge not to bully peers and to report incidents of bullying to an adult. If they are afraid to report bullying directly, they can drop an anonymous note in a "Bully Box."

West Frederick guidance counselors tell students that when an incident is reported, they will talk with the individuals involved. If the problem continues, the school will contact the offenders' parents and set up a meeting. If necessary, officials will take more serious disciplinary action, such as suspension.

"Students know that they're not defenseless," says Pond, who adds that they enjoy an open-door policy to talk with him directly. "If kids know they have direct access to an authority figure," he says, "it goes a long way toward relieving their stress."

Getting Help

West Frederick's program also helps students understand what bullying is and why it happens. Bullying can range from spreading rumors to hitting someone, according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center.

"Counselors visit our classrooms to talk about it," Jameka Womack, a sixth-grader, tells JS. "[They] say a lot of bullies do things because they're lonely and need to pick on somebody to get their anger or sadness out."

Jameka, 12, has learned about bullies firsthand. "Ever since the school year started, I've been picked on," she says. One day, a group of girls started to tease Jameka on the school grounds. When she walked away, they threw rocks, acorns, and dirt at her. "A rock hit me in my eye and cut me," she remembers.

Jameka and a friend went to their guidance counselor, Nicole Fortson. "I let all my emotions out and told her what was going on," Jameka says. "She listened and said I can't let things like this stop me. She said she'd talk to the people who were teasing me."

(See the sidebar below for Jameka's tips on dealing with bullies.)

"Working Together"

Not everyone wants to report incidents. "Students don't like to bring a lot of attention to themselves," Fortson tells JS. "Sometimes they're afraid other students will retaliate [take revenge]."

That is where the Bully Box comes in. Counselors check it regularly for notes. "If you deal with the problem right away," Fortson says, "it's easier."

Tyler Blackwell, a seventh-grader at West Frederick, used the Bully Box last fall when another student called him names. "I believe it's right to report something like that," says 12-year-old Tyler. "If somebody calls you a snitch, you know it's not true. It's up to you [to define] who you are, not others."

One of Julianna's friends dropped a note in the Bully Box after being teased about her religion. "The person who was teasing her had to go to the guidance office and apologize," Julianna says. "[My friend] said that made her feet really good."

The process also helps bullies, according to Julianna, who is in eighth grade. "I think most people who bully others are just insecure about themselves," she says. When they are forced to face their problem, "they get to talk to someone about it and why they've been doing it."

That is one reason the program is so successful, says Pond. "It's only by working together with everyone within a school that you can really get to the root cause of a problem."

write it!

What do you think an antibullying contract should say? Write one for your class or school.

Facts About Bullying safeyouth.org/scripts /teens/bullying.asp

A Student's Tips

Here are 5 tips from Jameka Womack on how to deal with bullies.

1 Don't fight with bullies. Fighting will only make the problem worse.

2 If you get picked on when you're alone, tell your friends about it afterward.

3 If there is a big problem, tell the guidance counselor or principal.

4 Never hide what is happening to you from your parents.

5 Remember that you are valuable. Don't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong.