Patch's Teen Columnist in Montclair Wins NYT Essay Contest

Congrats to Lena Rawley for winning the grand prize in the contest for teens about bullying.

Editor's note: with bullying such an important topic in Millburn and elsewhere, we thought we'd share this Montclair teen's views and welcome comments and columns from teens in Millburn as well. Over the last year, Lena Rawley, a 17-year-old junior at Montclair High School, has written a weekly column for Montclair Patch, giving readers an inside look at what students are doing and talking about. Now Rawley has won an essay contest held by New York Times writer Nicholas D. Kristof. Out of 1,200 essays, Rawley's piece on bullying, which included the following, won the grand prize: "Teenage girls are cruel super-humans from a distant galaxy sent here to destroy us all,” she began. “They have the self-entitlement of a celebrity heiress and …

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District Presents Bullying Report

Report covers the first four months of school; district determines 21 cases fell under the HIB law.

In the first half of the school year, the Millburn School District reports, there were 21 confirmed cases of bullying in the schools. As part of the anti-bullying law aimed at reducing harassment, intimidation and bullying in the schools, Millburn presented its first of two required reports on bullying incidents earlier this week. The report, presented to the Board of Education by Superintendent Dr. James Crisfield on Monday, states there were 129 reported possible incidents of bullying but only 21 were found to be harassment, intimidation or bullying. Of the 129 cases reported and investigated, 39 were at Millburn Middle School, 22 at South Mountain, 19 each at the high school and Hartshorn, 11 at Deerfield, 10 at Wyoming and nine at …

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Parents, Educators, Police Continue to Tackle Bullying, Hazing Issues

It's been a year since educators responded to a hazing incident at the high school. How are they tackling the issues.

It’s been over a year since hazing at Millburn High School became a national news story and township parents voiced concern and outrage, especially after learning that hazing in varying degrees had been occurring at the high school for nearly 20 years. “Hazing is glorified in frat movies, on sports teams in the military,” said Millburn School Superintendent James Crisfield. “And when it’s been a cultural thing it can be hard to change the ‘well that’s the way it worked when I was in school’ mindset.  But no one needs to go through mind games to get tougher mentally.  It’s wrong.” It's also been about a year since school officials addressed the issues at the high school in a report of how to handle hazing and bullying issues. And Monday at …

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Motherhood in Millburn

Motherhood in Millburn: On Being Bullied

Research shows verbal abuse alters brain development.

Recently a former classmate from the elementary school I attended before my father was transferred overseas asked if I’d like to be on the alumni list.  She’s a lovely person, so I felt bad saying no although that’s exactly what I did.  I explained I have such horrible memories of the school I’d never like to be reminded of it and certainly would never donate money to it.  I have reconnected with the friends from the school I’d like to reconnect with through Facebook.  I knew from an early age children could be breathtakingly cruel, especially girls. I was a half Iranian little girl in Texas during the hostage crisis. I went to school with girls who had names like Heather and Jennifer; I had a funny name. I would try and flip my hair back …

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Lautenberg Hosts Anti-Cyber Bullying Forum at MSU

Speakers included Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Steven Goldstein, Chairman and CEO of Garden State Equality

Steven Goldstein asked the crowd at Montclair State University Monday night, “How many of you have ever been bullied?” When the majority of people in the room raised their hands, he responded, “When I was a child I was beaten to a pulp. Kicked. Spit on.  Kids threatened to kill me because I was gay, short, different ... The best revenge is not using your hands, but changing society so future generations don’t have to suffer what you suffered.”  Goldstein is the chairman, founder and CEO of Garden State Equality and was part of an anti-bullying forum at the university. In response to recent tragedies involving cyber-bullying, and as part of a national effort to eradicate bullying of all kinds, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-NJ, has re-…

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Crisfield Concerned with Mandates of Anti-Bullying Law

He thinks the legislation is well-intentioned and likes how bullying is being addressed, but worries what the mandates will mean.

Millburn's top school official believes the state's proposed anti-bullying legislation is well-intentioned, but he has concerns with how it would be implemented if it passed. The state Assembly and Senate education committees passed the legislation on Monday after hearing from those who had been victims of bullying. Among them, according to a Star Ledger report, was a Millburn teen who said he was harassed before changing schools. The legislation would require districts to form committees to address bullying and investigate incidents. Schools Supt. James Crisfield said school officials also would be responsible for any incident reported to them at any time. The Millburn superintendent said it's sad it took a tragedy for state officials to …

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Paper Mill Performance Adresses Cyberbullying

The show teaches kids to be responsible with their actions online.

How much is too much technology? And what should kids do because of cyberbullying? That's what middle schoolers learned about during a performance at the Paper Mill Playhouse on Tuesday. The Paper Mill presented "Virtually Me!" as part of its On-School Time Series. The show addresses the issues of burgeoning technology and social media in relation to middle and high school age kids.  Set at WiFi High, the story surrounds four tech savvy students, Zeke, Jasper, Lindsay and Chloe.  Lindsay becomes the victim of cyberbullying when her friends post an embarrassing rumor on "zekebook." "We hope that kids will take away that their actions are a lot more than just a finger pushing a button on a computer.  That when they post something online it …

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South Mountain Students Are Superstars

Students are recognized for their good works with superstar bracelets.

Did you hold a door open for a senior citizen? Help a kindergartner find his classroom? Then you may be a superstar. South Mountain Elementary School Principal Scott Wolfe explained the school's superstar program during the Board of Education meeting Monday night. Students who help others in unexpected ways are recognized by receiving a green rubber bracelet that says "superstar" on it. Wolfe said students hear a lot about bullying and what not to do. But the program is about showing students ways to be better citizens and how to be better people. And the kids who are recognized are not those who come seeking the attention, he said. The act has to be seen by someone else and nominated to him for the bracelet. "They do it not because they …

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Puppet Show Teaches About Drug Awareness

M-MAC is sponsoring the show that is going to all of the elementary schools this month.

The story of the puppet show at Glenwood Elementary School Wednesday afternoon was about a new playground game called Hide and Slide, but it taught many other issues. The students learned about bullying, sharing and the affects of drugs during the presentation by Sadecky's Puppets. The puppet show, titled "Hide and Slide," will be traveling to each of the elementary schools in October as part of Red Ribbon Week and is sponsored by M-MAC. Red Ribbon Week is to raise drug and alcohol awareness. The story is about how Marty invents the new playground game Hide and Slide with his friend Chase. The game becomes popular, but a bully chases the kids away from the playground because he wants to play the game with his friend. Meanwhile, Marty …

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Question on Hazing Presentation Focus on Consequences

School officials outlined what is being done to address bullying and hazing in light of last fall's incident.

School officials outlined their plans to address hazing and bullying at the high school and all levels during Monday's Board of Education meeting, but some questioned the consequences for both. The Anti-Hazing Task Force presented its report on steps to be taken to address the issues in light of last fall's hazing incident that grabbed national headlines. Much of what was presented Monday was presented to the Millburn Middle School PTO last week. Some of the actions address educating and empowering people at school, home and in the community, including school spirit activities and speakers and other education programs. They also developed a code of conduct for students, which Sharian Edgreen, a high school guidance counselor, said the …

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