17 This number if for reference only, it does not print. 2 Fall 2012 A Letter from Prince Fielder

This is my first season with the Tigers, but it didn’t take long for me to feel at home.

I spent a lot of time here when I was growing up, and this season has reminded me of all the things I like about the city and the state. One thing I like most is how much support fans give our team, and how the team does things to give back to the fans. Not just on the field, but in neighborhoods in the city and around the state. That’s why I was excited when the team asked me to be the spokesman for this year’s student and family program called “ Strike Out Bullying.” Most hitters don’t want anything to do with striking out, but this program is different. It’s one of the many important things the team does for kids, and I want to strike out bullying as much as any one of you. The reason is simple: Bullying can affect kids in any school, and bullying is wrong. I know first hand. I got bullied as a kid, and I was bigger than everyone my age. People thought that they could just jump on me, because I was big and could take it. I could take it, but I didn’t want to. And no one should have to. If you are bullied, or if you see someone getting bullied, tell someone. You and your friends can tell the bully to stop, but if that doesn’t work, tell an adult. If you don’t speak up, the bullying will go on, either as physical threats, verbal threats or put-downs on the Internet. So as you start a new school year, let’s put an end to kids hurting or putting down other kids. Let’s speak up and tell everyone that bullying is wrong. Join me and the Tigers in this effort to Strike Out Bullying. This is one strikeout I want to be a part of.

Credits: This Newspapers in Education supplement was commissioned from Hollister Kids by Michigan K.I.D.S., Inc. for Detroit Media Partnership Newspapers in Education. Copyright © 2012 Detroit Media Partnership. The program was made possible by support from the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities. The writer was Peter Landry. The graphic designers were Nicole Ross and Jon Barthmus. Special thanks to Jordan Field, Ron Wade, Angela Perez and Ellen Hill Zeringue of the Detroit Tigers for providing Tigers content and photos. Fall 2012 3 Bullying Affects Everyone

At school, on the playground or in your neighborhood, one of the biggest threats to students is bullying. When people bully others, they try to hold people down in an effort to build themselves up. They try to take unfair advantage of people who are smaller, younger, weaker or different from themselves. They use violence — or threats of violence — to make others afraid and uncomfortable. They use words and mean looks to put others down or exclude them from groups or make them feel bad about themselves. They use the Internet, email or cell phones to spread gossip, nasty remarks and even photos or videos that make fun of others. Bullying makes it impossible for everyone to have an equal chance to succeed — even the bullies. Why Do People Bully? People bully others for many reasons. Some people bully because they want to impress a peer group or a group they want to get “in” with. Some bully because they are having problems or feel bad about themselves, and think bullying others will make them feel better or stronger. Some bully because they see other people behave like bullies — brothers, sisters, parents or other kids in the neighborhood. Some bully because they feel if they don’t bully someone else, Boys are more likely to use physical violence — or the threat someone else will bully them. of violence — to bully. Both Boys and Girls Girls are more like to use words, gossip, putdowns and stares to bully or intimidate others. Both boys and girls can be bullies and both boys and girls can be At the same time, some girls are violent bullies and some boys the targets of bullies. use words or putdowns to bully. According to national statistics, one of every three school children And both boys and girls use the Internet, text messages, e-mail, is bullied each year. Twitter and social sites like Facebook for electronic bullying — called “cyberbullying.” Bullying makes it harder for people to succeed — even the bullies. Learn with the Newspaper

When people bully others, they take unfair advantage of people because they are smaller, weaker or different. When people stand up to bullying, they treat all people fairly and treat them with respect. In the newspaper, find a story about someone treating others fairly or with respect. Read the story and write a complete sentence stating how the fair treatment benefited the person who received it. Then write a second sentence stating how the fair treatment benefited the person who offered it. 4 Fall 2012 Listen to Prince Fielder

Tigers Prince Fielder has always been big, and he’s always been strong. But that didn’t prevent him from experiencing bullying first hand as a child. “I got bullied as a kid, and I was bigger than everyone,” he recalls. “People thought that they could just jump on me, because I was big and could take it.” He could take it, but he didn’t like it. So he turned to an adult he knew he could trust for advice — his mom. “My mother instructed me to speak up for myself, and the bullying stopped,” Fielder says. Fielder, who is now 28, grew up to be 5 feet 11 inches tall and a powerful 275 pounds. But he still remembers how important it was to have an adult to turn to who could advise him how to deal with the situation without fighting. “It’s all right to say something to an adult,” Fielder says, even though some kids fear they’ll be seen as “selling out” or “snitching” if they do. “Bullying is wrong,” he asserts. “If it were you, you would want the help. It’s all right to say something.” On the flip side, the worst thing you can do is to keep quiet when you see bullying or are a victim of bullying. Because the way to reduce bullying, or help victims of bullying, Fielder says, is to bring the problem out into the open. “Kids can talk to their friends, parents and teachers about the fact that bullying is just wrong,” Fielder says. The more that kids know that it’s OK to speak up, the less likely until he signed with the Tigers as a free agent last winter. bullies will feel they can get away with it. Bystanders may feel less With the Brewers in 2007, he became the youngest player ever to likely to look away, and kids who have never bullied others may feel hit 50 home runs, and in the process he and his father became the less likely to try it if they know they’ll be called out. only father-son pair to each hit 50 homers in a Major League season. Sometimes “other kids see it and may decide to join in,” Fielder This year, Fielder made more history, winning the Home says, but if more kids know “bullying is wrong, and you shouldn’t do Run Derby at the Major League All-Star Game for the it,” that will be less likely to happen. second time. Only one other player, Ken Griffey Jr., has won the Fielder says kids need to feel comfortable talking to adults when Derby more than once, and Fielder is the only one to win for both they have problems. He certainly was from the time he was a child. leagues. In addition to his mom, he was around players from an early age because his father Cecil was a star with the Tigers and four other teams. Learn with the Newspaper He learned a lot of baseball at Major League ballparks, and at the age of 12 he hit a ball out of the park during batting practice at old Tiger Stadium. Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder feels it is important for kids By the time he was in high school in Florida, Prince Fielder was a to be willing to step up and talk openly about bullying when it budding star, hitting .524 with 10 home runs and 41 runs batted in as affects them or other students. In the newspaper find a story a senior and earning Space Coast Player of the Year honors from the about someone stepping up to talk about a problem or take a Florida Today newspaper. stand on an issue. Write a paragraph describing what risks the After graduating, he was selected in the first round of the Major person took by taking action. Write a second paragraph describ- League player draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he played ing the benefits that resulted from the person taking action. Fall 2012 5

6. Do Not Bully Back. Never bully someone else because someone The PAWS Plan bullied you. 7. Don’t Let the Bully Win. Keep doing what you love to do. for Fair Play Keep coming to school. Keep following your interests. If Someone Else Is Bullied … Everyone Can Help Stop Bullying 1. Speak Up. If you feel safe in the situation, tell the bully “Stop it.” The Tigers mascot PAWS is a familiar figure at games the team 2. Tell an Adult. Kids who are being bullied are sometimes scared to plays at Comerica Park. tell an adult. But a bystander can tell an adult — and should. At PAWS is also a familiar figure in neighborhoods throughout school, tell a teacher, an aide, a coach, a custodian, a guard or the metropolitan Detroit and Michigan. principal. When PAWS visits schools, playgrounds, camps and recreation 3. Be a Friend. Even if you don’t know the person being bullied, centers, he’s always looking for ways to make communities better. go over to them. Let them know how you think they are feeling. This fall, PAWS is joining the team’s efforts to stop bullying by of- Walk with them. fering “The PAWS Plan for Fair Play.” 4. Stop Untrue Messages. If someone spreads rumors or messages The PAWS Plan contains advice from bullying experts that can help you know are untrue, tell the person you know this is wrong, you if you are bullied and show you what to do if you see someone and tell others as well. else being bullied. 5. Get Friends Involved. Get your friends to help a person who is If You Are Bullied … being bullied. 1. Speak Up. Nobody likes to be picked on, but ignoring the situation 6. Refuse to Be a Bystander. If you see friends laughing along with will make it worse. Calmly tell the bully “Stop it.” a bully, let them know that by laughing they also are being bullies to the victim. 2. Never Fight Back, but firmly tell the bully “leave me alone” and walk away with confidence. 3. Tell an Adult You Trust. Many kids feel embarrassed they have been bullied, but you need to tell an adult who can offer ways Sources: The National Anti-Bullying to help you. Website, www.StopBullying.gov; the BullyBust Program of the 4. Stick Together. Staying with a group will help discourage bullies. National School Climate Center, Bullies like to pick on people who seem alone. www.schoolclimate.org/bullybust/; 5. Remember It’s Not Your Fault. Nobody deserves to be bullied. Detroit Public Schools, Talk to a friend or trusted adult about how you feel. http://detroitk12.org/resources/bully/

Tigers Anti-Bullying Program Has Great Reach

Everyone can play a part getting the word out about bullying. and hundreds of others took part in a survey created by the program Students, parents, teachers, families and other organizations all to find out how and why students are bullied. can help raise awareness about what bullying does to kids, and how Students at Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary in Kalamazoo created people can work together to stop it. a display of signed anti-bullying pledges that filled an entire wall. In the last two years, the Detroit Tigers and Michigan K.I.D.S. have And Tigers’ Phil Coke, who was the spokesman for last teamed up in a statewide anti-bullying effort. year’s program, testified with Jordan Field, Director of the Detroit Two student newspaper supplements have been created to teach Tigers Foundation, at a hearing for U.S. Attorney General Eric strategies for dealing with bullying and share the experiences and Holder’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence advice of Tigers players on what to do. — a national effort to reduce childhood violence. The effects of the effort have been felt in classrooms all over the Co-chairman of the National Task Force is Joe Torre, a four-time state, and as far away as the offices of leaders in Washington, D.C. champion as a manager, a nine-time All-Star as a player Last year’s supplement — “Detroit Tigers Go to Bat for Fair Play” and now Executive Vice President of Operations for Major League — was distributed to 100,000 students in the state by Michigan Baseball. (See story on Page 13.) K.I.D.S. and the Tigers. This year’s supplement, “Detroit Tigers Strike Out Bullying,” again Thousands of students signed the Tigers Pledge to Stop Bullying, will be distributed to students all over the state. 6 Fall 2012 Listen to Joaquin Benoit

As one of baseball’s top relief , Joaquin Both as a boy in the Dominican Republic and Benoit knows it is his job to take care of problems as a Major League pitcher, Benoit has always before they get out of hand and hurt his team. been willing to do whatever his teams asked. The same could be said for dealing with bullies He began his career as a starting pitcher, but and bullying. switched to relieving when he was with the “The best way to stop bullying is by . getting involved and by trying to talk to In 2002, he earned a place in the record books the person doing the bullying,” Benoit by recording the longest save by a relief pitcher says. “When you see bullying happening in Major League history, taking over for the and you don’t do something, you actually starting pitcher in the third inning and finishing encourage it.” the game. Benoit, who was born in the Dominican In 2010 he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, Republic, was never bullied growing up. But he and after a brilliant season joined the Tigers the saw bullies in action and saw what can happen next year as a free agent. when bullying isn’t stopped. With the Tigers, the 6 foot 3 inch, 220-pound “A bully is someone who needs attention from right-hander has been a valuable setup man for someone else,” he says. “But bullying can lead closer Jose Valverde, and this season held the to trouble and lack of values.” bullpen together when injuries forced other Confronting bullies, and letting them know pitchers out of action. that what they’re doing is not cool, can turn He was doing so well at one point that manager positive attention to negative attention for Jim Leyland said he should be named to the bullies. That’s important, because peer mid-season All-Star Game. pressure can persuade bullies to stop. “I voted for him,” Leyland told Jason Beck of If that doesn’t work, though, kids should the website www.MLB.com. “That pretty much not hesitate to speak to an adult if sums it up for me. I think he’s as good a setup they see bullying or are being bullied guy as there is in the game.” themselves, Benoit says. “If you are being bullied, it’s not going to stop,” he says. “You have to be the Learn with bigger person to speak up and stand up.” Being the “bigger person” can often be the Newspaper difficult, but it takes away the advantage bullies try to give themselves by building themselves up and acting tough. In baseball or in life, problems get harder to “At times, some kids think that they deal with the longer they exist. Standing up to are bigger, stronger and better than bullying, for example, is easier if victims and others in size or in culture,” Benoit says. bystanders speak out against it the first time it But when others take a stand against happens. If it happens again and again, it is a bullying, it reminds bullies they are not harder problem to stop. Alone or in pairs, use as big as they may think they are. the newspaper to find a problem people are Or as Benoit puts it, “there is nothing trying to deal with. It can be bullying, a neigh- bigger than God.” borhood issue or something else. Read the For people of faith that means that story and write a paragraph outlining ways to there are always concerns that are deal with the problem. Then write a second bigger than the desires of any one paragraph describing how the problem could person. And for all people it can be harder to deal with if it has been going on mean that everyone needs to take for some time. responsibility for their actions. Fall 2012 7

Gov. Snyder, bullied as a kid, signs new state anti-bullying law

When it comes to bullying, the state of Michigan ‘one tough nerd’ persona.” and its governor won’t stand for it. When Gov. Snyder was campaigning for the Gov. Rick Snyder has had many state office in 2010, he traveled around in accomplishments during his first term a campaign “nerd-mobile” to talk about as Michigan’s governor, but one law the importance of education and his he has been especially proud of goals for helping young people. is the state’s new anti-bullying What made others think he was legislation. a nerd? Behaving as a leader and The anti-bullying law, which acting responsibly, he says. was signed by the governor last “I was captain of the safety December, requires that patrol and on the student schools develop anti-bullying council,” the governor told policies “to protect students the Yak’s Corner kids news- from harassment, intimida- paper during the campaign. tion and physical violence.” He also was an early and The law gave schools six excellent reader, reading at months to create the policies a 12th grade level by fifth if they did not already have grade. them in place, which means While in high school, he clear new rules should be in began taking classes at the place for all schools for the community college in his home 2012-2013 school year. Schools town of Battle Creek and he that had anti-bullying policies managed to earn not one — but before the new law was passed three — degrees from the University have to submit them to the state of Michigan by the time he was 23. Board of Education for review. Gov. Snyder doesn’t talk much about “This was so important to get … right the details of his school years and the and get … done because it’s simple — bullying bullying he experienced, but those experiences is bullying and is wrong under any circumstances are no doubt part of what drives him to want to at any time,” the governor says. “Our students deserve make Michigan schools a place where young people can a safe environment to learn and grow. Period.” be safe from the fear and distraction of bullying. Michigan’s new anti-bullying law, called “Matt’s Safe School Law,” Although many Michigan schools already had anti-bullying rules, was named for Matt Epling, an eighth grade honor student who the new law requires all school districts to have policies to deal with killed himself after being attacked by bullies on the last day of bullying behavior. eighth grade. According to the governor’s office, Michigan was the 48th state to Gov. Snyder has often shared in the media that he was bullied require schools to create such anti-bullying rules. himself in elementary and middle school — and even in high school “This legislation sends a clear message that bullying is wrong in and college — for being a smart or nerdy kid. all its forms and will not be tolerated," Gov. Snyder said in a press “I wasn’t bullied to the extent you hear and see today,” he release from the governor’s office. "No child should feel intimidated says, “but I was picked on throughout school, from elementary or afraid to come to school." through college, because I was a nerd. It’s what helped create my — By Janis Campbell

“This legislation sends a clear message that bullying is wrong in all IN PHOTO — Gov. Rick Snyder visited Traverse Heights Elementary School in Traverse City for a March Reading its forms and will not be tolerated.” Month event. Photo by Janis Campbell. 8 Fall 2012 Survey gives an inside look at how bullying affects students

Bullies make life miserable for their victims, and What bullies think can make life uncomfortable for everyone else. In addition to asking how often bullying Bullies pick on their victims “because of the occurs, and in what ways, the survey asked way they dress,” or “because they don’t act students if they or their friends had ever like them” or “because they are little.” bullied others — and why. Bullies “try to act hard in front of The main reason given by students their friends,” “think they are better who had ever acted as bullies or seen than others,” “think they’re cool” or their friends be bullies was because “want to be cool.” “my friend/I was bullied by them Bullies want to “look good in front first” — indicating that a lot of of other people.” “They want “to bullying is payback or passing feel bigger and feel better.” They along behavior that students have “take their emotions and pain out experienced. on people who are weaker, or As one seventh grader from smaller, or less popular.” Detroit put it, “bullies bully others These descriptions are all from because they have been bullied.” students in schools in Detroit and “Or they are bullied at home,” other Michigan communities. noted a Detroit fifth grader. They are just some of the responses Other top reasons students gave for contained in a survey conducted by the why students bully others were “because Detroit Tigers/Michigan K.I.D.S. anti-bullying they look or act different from others” and program that produced this student supplement, “because not many people like them.” “Detroit Tigers Strike Out Bullying.” The survey found that many Michigan students The goal of the survey was to determine how much who have been victims of bullying have done what — and in what ways — bullying affects students in Michigan anti-bullying leaders urge all students to do. Nearly four of schools. The answer: A lot. every 10 responses indicated that students told a trusted adult, either The survey of 37 classes of students in Grades 2-12 found that a parent or a teacher or principal. In addition, more than two of nearly six of every 10 students responding said they are bullied at every 10 least once or twice a year, with more than four of 10 saying they are responses indicated victims had told friends, brothers or sisters. bullied at least once or twice a month and nearly three of 10 saying The survey also found that students are willing to get involved they are bullied once or twice a week or every day. when they see bullying taking place, indicating that many have In the survey, students said verbal bullying is the most common learned that staying silent is the worst way to deal with bullying. kind of bullying experienced by Michigan students — threats, put- More than half of the responses to a question asking what students downs, mean remarks or gossip. Indirect bullying — spreading rumors, had done when they saw bullying indicated they had either told making threatening gestures or keeping people out of a group — is the bully to stop or “tried to make the person who was bullied feel the second worst kind of bullying, according to the survey, followed better.” by physical bullying and cyberbullying on the Internet. “I tried talking nicely to the bully about the person being bullied,” Verbal or indirect bullying accounted for nearly seven of every 10 said a Clawson seventh grader. “I stopped it,” said an Allegan seventh responses in the survey, while physical violence accounted for nearly grader. “I made up an excuse to get the person away from the bully,” 2 of every 10 responses. said a Sterling Heights sixth grader. Some victims also have spoken up for themselves, though many still The survey found that students are do not. “I told them to leave me alone,” said an Allegan eighth grader. willing to get involved when they see “I stood up to the person,” added a Dearborn Heights sixth grader. bullying taking place. “I told them to back off and glared at them,” said an Allegan seventh grader. “I tried to figure out why it happened,” said a Bloomingdale sixth IN PHOTO — Students at Kalamazoo’s Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary grader. “I asked the bully ‘What have I done to you?’” School signed the Tigers Pledge to Stop Bullying and used the signed pledges to create a hallway display. Fall 2012 9 Listen to Doug Fister

In baseball or in life, confidence is the key to success. Yet different people gain confidence in different ways. When starting pitcher Doug Fister joined the Tigers in the middle of last season, he got a huge boost in confidence when he won eight out of nine games, including five straight in the month of September. He also gained confidence from being bullied growing up. “Everyone goes through bullying at some point in life,” he says. “For me, being bullied helped me develop confidence in myself, both physical and emotional.” So how was Fister — who was both a baseball and basketball standout in high school — bullied as a child? “When I was younger, I felt like I was being teased about being skinny and tall, just as someone who might have been overweight might be teased,” he recalls. “Everyone goes through a stage or two. The key is knowing that it’s all right to be yourself.” It helped Fister that he grew up to be 6 feet 8 inches tall and now weighs 210 pounds. But “it’s important to learn ways to stop bullying, because it helps build confidence in yourself,” he says. “By learning ways to stop bullying now, you also get to understand things that will help you later in life, such as how to stand up for yourself in daily life.” Letting bullies know it is not acceptable to bully is a first step. Getting bystanders to speak up is another. And knowing it’s all right “By learning ways to stop bullying to go to a trusted adult for help is a third. “As an innocent bystander, it takes a big person to step in and stop now, you also get to understand something from happening,” Fister says. “Stepping in is important, as things that will help you later in life.” we are all held accountable. You can also let everyone know that it is not all right to bully, especially if you feel strongly against it.” Though he feels it’s important to speak up and get involved, Fister Getting an adult involved may actually help bullies, Fister says, admits that kids sometimes need to ask adults for help to deal with because many are not bad people. They may be good people who bullying. are just doing bad things. “That’s not snitching,” Fister stresses. “It’s very important to let an “Typically, a bully snaps out of it as he/she grows up and becomes adult, parent, neighbor or teacher know so that they can step in and a good citizen,” Fister says. And getting a bully to stop may actually take some action. It’s not a big deal to let an adult know that action help the bully down the road. needs to be taken.” “There are times in life when the bully becomes the target,” Fister says. “When the bully has a bad reputation, it can follow them throughout life, and into the workplace.” Learn with the Newspaper The lessons Fister learned from his early experience with bullying have helped him at every stage of his baseball career. At Golden Valley High School in California, he was an all-confer- Having confidence and being comfortable with who you are can ence all-star in both baseball and basketball (and averaged more help you become successful in life. In the newspaper, find a story than 30 points a game in basketball as a senior!). or photo about someone who is successful. It can be a member In college he was a letterman at both Merced College and Fresno of the Tigers, another sports figure or someone in another field. State University and he was drafted THREE times by Major League On a sheet of paper make a list of ways this successful person teams. He turned down the and New York shows that he/she has confidence. Then make a list of ways you Yankees before signing with the . can show you have confidence in yourself and your abilities. He pitched two and a half seasons for the Mariners before being traded to the Tigers. 10 Fall 2012 Listen to Gerald Laird

As a , Gerald Laird knows the importance urges kids to get involved in positive activities. of having strong defensive skills. “Kids need to interact more instead of joining have to field bunts and pop-ups, throw cliques,” Laird says. “Interacting with everyone and runners out when they try to steal bases and protect becoming involved in sports and other activities are home plate when runners try to score. keys to reducing bullying.” Defending home plate is something every catcher Activities like sports can let kids get to know each has to learn. And knowing how to defend yourself other in new ways and reduce “us-against-them” off the field is something everyone needs to tensions. They also can show bullies or would-be know, even if you’re not an athlete. bullies that there are positive ways to get attention. This is particularly true if you face teasing, That can help bullies grow out of bullying behav- threats or bullying, or if you see those ior, or avoid it altogether. things happening to someone else. “As bullies get older and more mature, they often “You have to stand up for yourself,” look back and regret what they’ve done,” Laird says. Laird says, “and you need to do what is “As they mature, they realize how it affects others.” right” for others. Getting to know victims of bullying can help bullies “Don’t be afraid to speak up,” “see how their victims feel,” Laird says. he adds. “You have to say something Growing up, Laird met all kinds of people through because something bad could happen sports. He was a standout at La Quinta High School if you don’t.” and was drafted in the second round of the Major Laird, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall and League draft by the . weighs 225 pounds, was never bullied As a professional, Laird has actually played for the himself growing up in Warminster, Tigers two separate times, first in 2009, when he was California. the starting catcher, and again this season, when he “But I have had problems with kids has supplied backup support to . He has as an athlete,” he says. “It was tough also played for the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis sometimes, and I felt like there was Cardinals. no one around to talk to. I was on my Baseball runs in his family. His younger brother own, and it was not a good feeling.” Brandon is now a third baseman in the New York That’s why it’s important for kids to Yankees organization. seek out a trusted adult they can turn to when they need help or advice. “Kids need to know that they could Learn with put an end to bullying if they just spoke to an adult,” Laird says. the Newspaper Whom kids turn to “depends on where the bullying is taking place,” Laird says, ”but ulti- Interacting with others can help break down mately talking with an adult, barriers, build teamwork and lead to success, parent, principal or teacher according to Tigers catcher Gerald Laird. In the is the key.” newspaper, find a story about people interacting Equally important, in or working together. Read the story and write a Laird’s view, is breaking paragraph explaining how interacting or working down barriers between together allowed people to achieve things they kids that can lead to might not have achieved on their own. bullying. And he Fall 2012 11 Electronic Bullying Is a Growing Concern

Every year when school begins, special efforts are made to keep kids safe from bullying. In the past, schools have focused on face-to-face problems like teasing, taunting and even physical violence that can occur when kids get back together after a summer off. Today, students, parents and school leaders are facing another problem that is harder to fight: Bullying, taunting and verbal abuse through electronic devices and the Internet. Cell phones, smart phones, laptops and home computers have given kids ways to communicate that their parents could only have dreamed of. And increasingly, text messages, blogs and social websites like Facebook, are being used to embarrass, taunt, threaten or harass other students. The problem has grown to the point that the nation’s Centers for Disease Control, which monitors health and social problems, released a package of materials to help students, parents and schools push back against what it calls “electronic aggression.” As many as one of every three adolescents may now be victims of electronic aggression each year, according to studies by the CDC and the Journal of Adolescent Health. “Increasing numbers of teens and pre-teens are becoming victims No Names of this new form of violence,” the CDC declares. And “as technology becomes more affordable and sophisticated, One of the biggest problems with electronic bullying is that people rates of electronic aggression are likely to continue to increase.” don’t have to use their names. As many as 46 percent of electronic bullying victims don’t know Not Just Internet who is targeting them because messages are sent under false names, or with no name at all, the CDC reports. Even more disturbing, 22 Electronic aggression is a bigger problem than what used to be percent of kids who bully others electronically say they don’t know called “cyberbullying” on the Internet, because it’s more than an the identity of their target. Internet issue. Using false names, kids feel free to be meaner and nastier electron- It includes “any kind of aggression perpetrated through technol- ically than they would ever be face to face or over the phone. ogy,” the CDC says, “… any type of harassment or bullying … that As a result, “in the electronic world a victim is often alone when occurs through email, a chat room, instant messaging, a website, responding to aggressive emails or text messages,” the CDC says. “His blogs or text messaging.” or her only defense may be to turn off the computer or cell phone.” More than 80 percent of adolescents now have the tools for electronic aggression through cell phones, smart phones, Blackberries or Internet access, according to studies conducted by the Journal of Adolescent Health. Learn with the Newspaper

Texting, blogs, chat rooms and websites are the most common ways victims are targeted by electronic bullying, according to national studies. And once messages are sent or posted, they can’t be taken back. As a class, talk about the dangers of electronic bullying. Then draw an editorial cartoon or comic strip for the newspaper, showing the possible result of electronic bullying sent or experienced in one of these ways. 12 Fall 2012 Listen to Brennan Boesch

As a star in high school, college, the minor leagues and the Major Leagues, Brennan Boesch has learned how important it is to stay cool under pressure. Lose your head, and you can’t concentrate as well, and you won’t perform to the best of your ability. The Tigers’ right fielder also has seen how important it is to keep cool off the field when faced with pressure situations. And as more kids face the problem of bullying in school or their neighborhoods, he says that is something to always remember. “I think the best way for someone to reduce bullying is to really not act upset when it happens,” he says. “You go and tell an adult, but don’t play into the fact you’re upset. If you kind of laugh about it and show that it doesn’t bother you, it will take the heat away from you and it will put it on the kid that’s bullying.” Growing up in Santa Monica, California, Boesch saw bullying first hand because he was a good athlete and was always playing sports. “I was bullied as a kid when I was young, because I could beat many of the older kids in sports,” he says. “In kindergarten, first and second grade I would always play with the older kids since I was pretty athletic for my age. They didn’t like me for beating them, so they would try to pick on me.” When that happened, he would tell his parents when he got home. “They encouraged me to stand my ground, because bullying is not right,” recalls Boesch, who is now 27 and 6 feet, 4 inches tall. “It hap- pens in school all the time but people turn away. It’s important that people are aware that it’s not okay. I let the bullies know I wasn’t okay with it.” “I think the best way for someone to Later, when Boesch was older, he took it upon himself to look out reduce bullying is to really not act for the younger kids, to make sure they weren’t bullied as he had been. upset when it happens.” “A lot of time the bullying would take place during a sports event,” he recalls. “The young kids, the littler kids, would get picked on by the bigger, stronger kids. As a bigger kid I tried to protect the “You may not be the best athlete, or the strongest, but you need smaller, weaker kids from being bullied by the other people on the to understand that you deserve to be treated with respect,” he says. playground.” “When you see someone getting bullied, just make sure that you’re It’s everybody’s responsibility to stop bullying, says Boesch, who hit 30 not afraid to tell someone. home runs and drove in 121 runs in his first two seasons with the Tigers. “Don’t be afraid to go grab an adult and let them know that there is something going on that is inappropriate,” Boesch says. “And if someone’s getting bullied, don’t hesitate to step in and tell the bully, ‘Hey, I think what you’re doing is wrong.’” Boesch believes in being a role model, as he was when he hit .490 as a senior in high school or when he earned All-PAC 10 first team all-star honors at the University of California, Berkeley. “It’s part of your responsibility as a good person to make sure that people around you are being treated properly,” he says. “It’s important that people are more aware of that now.” Fall 2012 13

School policies Schools Step Up to Stop Bullying

Bullying can affect kids any place they go. quer.” In addition, Ukrainec says, the program helps kids “grow It can happen in their neighborhoods, on playgrounds, in parks stronger from the situations they may encounter” themselves and and even in their homes. But bullying that happens in schools worries helps them “cope with things they may be facing in their daily lives.” parents and community leaders most, because schools are where the At Farrand Elementary School in Plymouth, Bully Busters are at greatest number of kids are together for many months of the year. work reducing violence, conflict and bullying at the school. Students Because it is so important to prevent bullying in schools, students patrol playgrounds, school buses and bus stops, and as a result inci- and education leaders in communities across the state are taking dents of bullying have gone down. the lead this fall in efforts to reduce conflict and bullying among “When you empower students, they are willing to work with you,” students. Principal Troy Reehl told the Detroit Free Press. Bully Busters, Peace Patrols and programs to give students the skills Students who sign up to be Bully Busters receive a week of training to reduce conflicts are being started in community after community. with a school counselor to learn ways to resolve bullying conflicts. At Riverside Middle School in Dearborn Heights, students in Grades “It’s really helped,” student Ellie Caruso told the Free Press. 5-8 serve on a school Peace Patrol. Now in its third year, the Patrol In Detroit, the School District has taken a different approach, seeks to reduce conflict in school and to raise awareness about bullying calling attention to bullying with a dramatic play developed and both in school and in the community. performed by students from one of Detroit’s arts-based high schools “Our students have done some wonderful projects around school on a DVD that can be viewed in every school. and strive every day to make it a better place,” teacher Rachelle The School District also offers anti-bullying advice for students and Ukrainec writes. “We are so proud of what they have accomplished, parents on its website — http://detroitk12.org/resources/bully/ — and and we hope we are getting the word out in our community that through its Conflict Resolution Initiative it gives students, parents and bullying is a large problem we all need to work together to con- teachers tools and skills they need to resolve school-based conflicts, increase tolerance and head off behaviors that can lead to bullying. An Anti-Bullying Policy To make schools safer and more respectful, the Michigan state Board of Education came up with a model Anti-Bullying Policy that local school districts can adopt. The policy, which was updated in 2010, has been a model for policies approved by Detroit Public Schools and school districts across the state. The policy covers students, teachers and principals, as well as support staff. “A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards,” the policy asserts. In an anti-bullying policy approved in 2011, Detroit Public Schools declare that “all students have the right to participate fully in the educational process, free from bullying and harassment. ... Bullying, harassment and cyber-bullying are prohibited. … Retaliation or threats of retaliation meant to intimidate the victim of bullying ... or those investigating incidents, are also prohibited.” “A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for students to learn and achieve high academic standards.” 14 Fall 2012 Books That Can Help You Deal with Bullying

You can learn a lot about bullying by read- Monster Mama by Liz Rosenberg The Hundred Dresses by ing the advice and experiences of Detroit My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig E. Estes Tigers players. You also can learn a lot by Nobody Knew What To Do Inventing Elliot by reading books you can get from branches of by Becky R. McCain Graham Gardner the Detroit Public Library or libraries in Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog Jake Drake, Bully Buster other communities. There are lots to choose by Graham McNamee by Andrew Clements from, from picture books to chapter books. Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola Junebug by Alice Mead They feature kids like you, kids who are not One by Kathryn Otoshi A Letter from the Fringe like you, animals and even monsters! Here Pinky and Rex and the Bully by James Howe by Joan Bauer are some books with which you can learn The Rat and the Tiger by Lord of the Flies by more about bullying, and read some great Keiko Kasza William Golding stories, too! The Recess Queen by Loser by Jerry Spinelli Alexis O’Neill Marvin Redpost: Why Pick On Me? Grades K-3 (Ages 5-8) Say Something by by Louis Sachar Andy Shane and the Very Bossy Delores Peggy Moss Mean, Mean Maureen Green by Judy Cox Starbuckle by Jennifer Richard Jacobson Spaghetti in a Hot Dog The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm Arthur’s April Fool by Marc Brown Bun by Kimberly Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Baseball Ballerina Strikes Out by Kathryn Shaw-Peterson Reynolds Naylor Cristaldi McKeon Stand Tall, Molly Lou Secret Friends by Elizabeth Laird Belling the Tiger by Mary Stolz Melon by Patty Lovell Shortcut by Nancy Werlin The Berenstain Bears and the Bully by Stand Up for Yourself Shredderman: Secret Identity by Stan and Jan Berenstain and Your Friends: Wendelin Van Draanen Bootsie Barker Ballerina by Barbara Bottner Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness and Stick Up for Yourself by Gershen Kaufman The Bubblegum Kid by Stu Smith Finding a Better Way and Lev Raphael Bully by Judith Caseley by Pattie Kelley Criswell and Angela Martini Talking About Bullying by Jillian Powell Bully B.E.A.N.S. by Julia Cook Stop Picking on Me by Pat Thomas Toby and the Phantoms of the Fourth Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug by Ed Emberley The Tale of Sir Dragon by Jean Pendziwol Grade by Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes Willy the Wimp by Anthony Browne Art Wallace Tuesday of the Other Clara Caterpillar by Pamela Duncan Grades 4-7 (Ages 9-12) Edwards. June by Norma Confessions of a Former Bully by Amelia Takes Command by Marisa Moss Fox Mazer Trudy Ludwig Blubber by Judy Blume Whitewash by Don’t Laugh at Me by Steve Seskin Bullies Are a Pain in Ntozake Shange Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester the Brain by Wings by Christopher How Do I Feel About Bullies Trevor Romain A. Myers and Gangs? by Julie Johnson Bye-Bye, Bully by The Ugly Duckling by How to Be Cool in Third J.S. Jackson Hans Christian Grade by Betsy Duffey The Chocolate War Andersen, adapted The Junkyard Wonders by by Robert Cormier by Jerry Pinkney Patricia Polacco Cliques, Phonies and Just Kidding by Other Baloney by Sources: Amazon Online Bookstore, Trudy Ludwig Trevor Romain www.amazon.com; Steve Barancik’s Best Children’s King of the Playground by Cockroach Cooties Books, http://www.best-childrens-books.com; Kids Phyllis Reynolds Naylor by Laurence Yep Wings Bookstore and Literacy Group, Martha Walks the Dog by Crash by Jerry Spinelli http://suzyred.com; Oprah’s Kids’ Reading List, Susan Meddaugh Hangman by Julia Jarman http://www.oprah.com/packages/kid-reading-list.html Fall 2012 15 The Write Stuff Imagine a bullying event. Write how the people involved would feel. Then enter your story in the Tigers Anti-Bullying Contest

Books that kids like often are based on things that happen in them a candidate to be a bully. Think about your bullying conflict the real world. Authors often look to the news for inspiration for and write an outline detailing what the bully would choose to do, creative stories, or to find characters to build a story around. In teams why he/she would do that, and how he/she would feel during or or alone, imagine you have been hired to write a book on bullying. after the bullying. Use what you learn about this person from the As you have learned in this supplement, every bullying event involves newspaper to suggest how his/her personality or background might at least three people: (1) the Victim of bullying, (2) the Bully, and (3) have been reasons he/she became a bully. people who are Bystanders. Your challenge is to write a story that will reflect how each of these people would feel, using real life The Bystanders. Most bullying incidents involve Bystanders — people from the newspaper as your characters. people who are not directly involved in the bullying, but who know what is going on. How Bystanders react can influence the outcome The Bullying Event. Start by brainstorming details of a conflict in of a bullying event. Search the newspaper for a person or people which someone will end up being bullied. The conflict can take place who could be Bystanders to the bullying event in your story. Think in a school, in a neighborhood or somewhere else. It can involve about the bullying conflict and write an outline detailing what the young students, teenagers or even adults. Bystanders might do, what they would be thinking or feeling during the event and what they might do or feel afterwards. Use what you The Victim. Who will be the victim of bullying in your story? Search learn about this person or people from the newspaper to detail how the newspaper for a photo or story about a person who interests they would react. Would your Bystanders get involved or stay out of you. You may be interested in their talents, their intelligence, their the bullying event? Would they talk to a family member or trusted looks, their name or something else. Use what you learn about this adult about what they had seen? Would they want to find ways to person from the newspaper and write an outline of how the person stop bullying in the future, or would they choose to stay silent? would react to being bullied, what he/she would do in response and how he/she would feel during or after the event. Then write out a Share and Discuss. As a class or in groups, share and talk about way this person could resolve the bullying situation peacefully. your story ideas. Did any students choose the same people from the newspaper to be characters? Did the bullying events in different The Bully. Every bullying incident involves a bully. Search the news- stories seem similar to each other, or different? Do the bullying paper again for a person whose personality or actions might make events in the stories remind anyone of real events that have happened to them or their friends? What did you or other students do in the real-life situations? Write Your Story — and Enter!

Contest Guidelines Contest Prizes Use the outlines you created for the Victim, Bully and First, second and third place winners will be chosen in each of Bystanders to write your bullying story and enter it in the Tigers three categories: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8 and Grades 9-12. All first, Anti-Bullying Contest. Your story may be fiction or non-fiction. second and third place winners will receive: It should be 1-2 typewritten pages long, or 3 handwritten pages. Typed pages should have one-inch margins and must be typed in • Two tickets to a 2013 regular season Detroit Tigers game on 12-point type. Handwritten stories must be legibly printed and a date selected by the Tigers with a scoreboard message double-spaced. An official entry form must be stapled to the congratulating the winners front of each story. No names should appear on the story, only • Certificates of excellence on the entry form. Entry forms may be downloaded online at • Recognition in an ad in The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press www.dnie.com. • Recognition online at www.dnie.com and at Stories will be judged based on content, clarity of student’s www.detroittigers.com writing and overall creativity. All stories must include at least one Victim, Bully and Bystander. First, second and third place winners will also receive Little Submit your story by Friday, December 14 to Michigan K.I.D.S., Caesars Pizza gift cards in the amounts of $75, 50 and $25 615 W. Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48228. respectively. 16 Fall 2012

Take the Tigers Pledge To Stop Bullying

To stop bullying in my school, I will • Peacefully stand up for kids who are being bullied. • Tell an adult when I see bullying happen. • Tell a trusted adult if I am bullied. • Never fight back but calmly walk away from bullies. • Never bully others if I am bullied. • Stop rumors and bullying on the Internet • Let classmates know bullying is not cool.

Signed,

Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson visits with Tigers Fans at the Parade Company during the 2012 Tigers Winter Caravan. Photo by Calvin Doctor.

Michigan K.I.D.S. Says THANK YOU Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities For Supporting This Newspapers In Education Program. Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera visits with students at Clark Park during the 2012 Tigers Winter Caravan. Photo by Lisa Luevanos.