WILL C. WOOD HIGH GETS SOME “TRUTH”
February 18th, 2010
Vacaville, CA – Filmmaker JC Pohl talks to students at Will C. Wood High School about bullying and school violence. (Ryan Chalk / The Reporter)
Will C. Wood High School students in Vacaville got a stark reminder of the effects of bullying Wednesday during a school assembly on the topic.
Filmmaker JC Pohl brought his popular documentary “Teen Truth: An Inside Look at Bullying and School Violence” to the campus of approximately 1,650 students. The 22-minute film, created by high school students from across the United States was also paired with Pohl’s own motivational speaking and testimony; some of which is his own, and some coming from stories he’s heard from students about the effects of bullying on high school campuses.
The goal of the assembly is to teach students to identify the different forms of bullying, understand how bullying can lead to serious consequences, and motivate students to stop bullying from happening in their school.
Before showing the film, which included startling footage from surveillance cameras during the 1999 incident at Columbine High School, where two students went on a shooting rampage that left 12 students and a teacher dead before taking their own lives, Pohl asked Wood students to ask themselves throughout the picture if they could relate to any of the stories presented.
The documentary pointed out that teens deal with self-esteem issues and insecurity which causes them to look to their peers to find self worth. And when teens don’t have an adult or teacher they can turn to, it leaves them susceptible to influences that are not always positive.
“When you’re not
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accepted you’re an outcast and a target for bullies,” said one teen interviewed in the documentary.
Throughout the film, facts flashed across the giant screen in the school’s gym such as: Bullying causes anxiety and bullying causes anger.
As the film ended to a loud applause, Pohl asked the students, “What are you doing each day to make a difference?”
Pohl then led them in an exercise where he asked everyone to stand if they had ever been punched, kicked tripped or shoved on purpose, followed by another question related to having rumors spread about themselves.
The gym’s wooden bleacher’s squealed as all but a handful of student stood up.
He later read a chilling diary excerpt from one of the Columbine shooters.
“That’s the point of this exercise, to give kids an idea why these types of events are happening. In my opinion no one deserves to feel this way,” Pohl said.
Freshman Adam Mohr was moved by the whole presentation.
“It was very inspiring. The last segment kind of gave me the chills just to watch it,” Mohr said. He added that after watching the film he would be inclined to go up to a stranger on campus just to say hello.
Sophomores Chelsea Lawrence and Sarah Cheechov said they wouldn’t be as judgmental of others based on looks after the assembly.
“It helped me realize I shouldn’t be as rude,” Lawrence said.
According to Principal Chris Strong, a $1,000 mini-grant awarded by the Vacaville Public Education Foundation paid for half of the program costs.
Today, students will take time to reflect on the assembly during English class and write out a formal commitment to making the school a better place. That pledge will be put on a small card for students to keep with them.
“It gets the kids thinking and that’s our goal,” Strong said. “It’s very powerful for the staff as well.”
Published by: The Reporter
Written by: Ryan Chaulk
Photo by: Ryan Chaulk
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