From the bus and ball field to the hallway and classroom, Alden-Conger school is determined to stamp out bully behavior in the district.

Thursday, August 30, 2001

From the bus and ball field to the hallway and classroom, Alden-Conger school is determined to stamp out bully behavior in the district.

Though bullying is nowhere near epidemic proportions, Superintendent Rita Usselman said even occasional bullying is still a problem worth the attention of the community.

&uot;Honestly, I wouldn’t call bullying a huge or significant problem in our school, but we’ve decided to go after it, even if there’s only one or two minor instances of name-calling or teasing,&uot; Usselman said.

&uot;We want to protect our school from that to maintain the learning atmosphere we’ve worked so hard to create.&uot;

Usselman decided to take a small-town approach to launching the anti-bullying program by inviting community leaders to participate. From churches to businesses to city officials, she hopes everyone will get involved in the effort.

&uot;I think during the first year, we should work on awareness and creating a common language. The entire community needs to get on the same page as far as terminology,&uot; Usselman said. &uot;Then we can learn to recognize the behaviors we want to stop and know some of the appropriate strategies. When we see bullying going on, we can intervene and say ‘We don’t do that around here.’&uot;

All teachers and students will be learning conflict resolution skills and other strategies to stop bully behavior, Usselman said. As with most behavioral problems, she believes early intervention can prevent more serious problems as students get older.

&uot;We’re very focused on this, especially with the younger grades,&uot; she said.

The district’s push to curb bullying coincides with new measures by the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning. The national attention suddenly focused on bullies stems from the school shootings of recent years, Usselman said.

&uot;It’s one of the only good things to have come out of all that tragedy at Columbine and other schools,&uot; she said.

Other new developments at A-C Schools:

— The district recently finished a new parking lot on the east side of the school grounds. With a capacity of at least 70 vehicles, staff will no longer have to park on the street in front of homes during school hours, Usselman said.

— Thanks to the work of volunteers, the football field got a facelift over the summer. Players will notice a softer field this year, Usselman said. By fertilizing and aerating the turf all spring and summer, the field is in the best shape in years, she said.

— The Alden-Conger school board will welcome a new member at its next meeting Sept. 10. Ross Martinson will take over for Paula Merkouris, who resigned her position over the summer due to relocation.

For more information about the upcoming year at Alden-Conger schools, visit their Web site at www.alden-conger.org.