Ivy Prep Academy Takes A Stand Against Bullying

NORCROSS - Insults. Threats. Pranks. Punches. Rumors spread on the Internet. According to national statistics, nearly 80 percent of students across the country face the wrath of bullies who cause them physical and emotional abuse.

This month, at Ivy Preparatory Academy in Norcross, students are taking a stand against bullying. The public charter school for girls is observing National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month with programs that encourage girls to respect each other's feelings and differences.

Respect is one of the core values at Ivy Prep Gwinnett, which attracts families looking for a school focused on preparing students for college and life as an adult.

“It is important that we put an intentional focus on helping our girls develop both socially and academically so that when they become women they will understand how to treat each other,” said Joy Treadwell, principal of Ivy Prep.

Ivy Prep kicked off Bullying Prevention Awareness Month recently with a program that featured a celebrity appearance.

Students saw the documentary “Bully,” which follows the victims of bullies and details the torment they face. After the film, long-time radio personality Wanda Smith, formerly of V103’s top-rated Frank and Wanda Morning Show, gave a motivational talk.

Smith shared her personal story about her career in radio and spoke to students about the importance of developing self-confidence. She challenged the girls to expand their network of friends and speak up when they see others being mistreated at school or in their neighborhoods.

Victims of bullying are between two-and-nine times as likely to consider suicide as a way to escape the emotional and physical torture they endure, national experts say.

”You can talk to a person and make them feel very low,” Smith told students. “I have had things happen to me … People may not like you because of the way you dress, or the way you look, or the car you drive. You have to be strong. You have to love each other.”

Ivy Prep, the state’s first public charter school for girls, promotes a culture of respect, acceptance and friendship. The school’s uniform dress and single-gender classrooms limit distractions. Students are called "scholars" because of their focus on academics.

Several Ivy Prep parents say they transferred their kids to the girls' public charter school for its supportive environment. Some said their daughters were bullied at their neighborhood traditional public schools because of their intelligence, wardrobe or other differences.

Administrators at Ivy Prep are working to preserve the culture of the school so that students feel safe and free to be themselves.

“Although bullying is not a real big issue here, we are an all-girls school,” said Yori Scott, a school counselor at IPA Gwinnett. “Sometimes, it is so easy for girls to pick apart each other without even knowing it. We want to be proactive.”

Scott said she would be visiting classrooms to speak to students in grades 6-11 about respecting differences and preventing bullying throughout the rest of the month.

Next month, the school is planning a possible field trip to see a stage play about bullying and surviving high school.

Writers and directors of the production “SuperStar Dreamz”, a musical about ambitious high school students who want to succeed in the arts, accompanied Smith to Ivy Prep to share some highlights from the stage play. It debuts in November.

Ivy Prep's month-long focus on preventing bullying inspired some teens at the school to serve as “ambassadors” who will speak out against bullying when they see it.

“Today’s program was really great,” said Rebekah Bills, an Ivy Prep scholar who will serve as an ambassador. “I learned more about bullying and how serious it is, and how people are effected by it. We must support people when they are feeling down and uplift them by being kind.”