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Former Randolph resident Doug Wilhelm has written an intriguing—and surprisingly good-humored—book about the young terrorists in our midst. He did a good deal of his research while he was living in Randolph 10 years ago, and a key scene in the book occurs in a place just like the footbridge connecting the town’s recreation fields. The topic is bullying in the middle school grades, and Wilhelm’s 2003 young-adult novel, "The Revealers," has become an important tool in a national campaign by school officials to stop bullying. In the past two years, Wilhelm’s book has been used by more than 70 schools in Vermont, and in others outside of the state, as a springboard to get kids to talk about—and address—the problem. Now, the "all-school read" approach to "The Revealers" is being taken to the district level, as all students in grades 5-8 in the Orange Southwest Supervisory Union are reading and discussing Wilhelm’s book. Thanks to a state grant, copies of the book have been sent home with each student. School officials are urging parents to read the book; talk to their children about bullying in their lives; and to attend one of two adult discussion sessions with Wilhelm next week, Feb. 15 and 16. Workshops, Too During Wilhelm’s two-day residency in the district, he will also conduct workshops with students at the Braintree, Brookfield and Randolph elementary schools, and the RUHS middle school. In those sessions, students will have opportunities to write about bullying they have encountered, Wilhelm told The Herald in a recent interview. Every kid has had some experience with bullying, noted Wilhelm. Name-calling, rumor-mongering, exclusion, and outright harassment affect not only bullies and victims, but also the many conflicted "bystanders," who feel they should do something to stop the pain, but are afraid of speaking up. Wilhelm, a very tall guy (6’10") with white hair and an easy and friendly manner, knows first-hand about bullying. "I was a tall, hopeless, targeted geek in middle school," he said. "I was really very isolated and it was not okay to be friends with me." How serious a problem is bullying in our schools? Here is what one middle-schooler told Wilhelm: "If grown-ups did this stuff, they’d be in jail." Here’s a more sobering take: In the fall of 2003—just when the New York publisher Farrar, Strauss and Giroux released Wilhelm’s book—a young teen from Essex Junction committed suicide. His parents later discovered that he had been the target of vicious "cyber-bullying" by fellow students who spread rumors via chat rooms and instant messaging. Legislature Acts His parents committed themselves to lobbying Vermont legislators to pass an "anti-bullying law," similar to those already approved in a number of other states. The legislature acted in the spring of 2004, and by that fall, schools were required to have "prevention strategies" and a procedure for dealing with bullying incidents. "And there was my book," said Wilhelm. Schools are using his story to open up classroom discussion, and many are also inviting the author to conduct writing and discussion workshops with the students. "The Revealers" is a tale of three kids—each tormented for a different reason—who team together and find a way to bring students’ stories of bullying out "into the light." Some of the bullying involves a mean "loner" who targets an isolated victim. But more often, as in real life, "It’s the popular, comfortable majority making life totally miserable for the kids who are not in the power structure," Wilhelm said. Delightful dialogue, unexpected twists in the plot, and a hopeful message about the possibility of being able to change situations—and ourselves—transforms this heavy topic into an engaging read. His goal in writing the book was to tell a "good story" that just might make a difference, Wilhelm said. "I didn’t want it to be preachy." Wilhelm, who has written other young adult fiction, got his idea for "The Revealers" from his son Brad, when he was a second grader in Rutland. Brad, now 19, told his dad that he and his friends had a "secret bully lab" and that they were observing bullies to learn what made them tick. Wilhelm, living in Randolph at the time, saw the story-in-waiting and plunged into research, consulting both grown-up and young adolescent experts on the topic of bullying. He visited several elementary schools—including those in Braintree and Randolph—to collect kids’ true stories. Elements of many of those stories are woven into the book. Empowering Kids Schools are committed to stopping bullying, and that’s good, but Wilhelm thinks it’s just as important for kids to learn that they have the power themselves—by speaking up—to stop this insidious harrassment, as well. If "The Revealers" has a theme, Wilhelm said, "it’s what happens when things come out of the dark into the light." "Adults think they have to fix things," he added, but empowering kids can effect even more remarkable change. RUHS Assoc. Principal Judy Hynes, who is working with the local Prevention Partnership to pull off the all-district read and two-day residency with Wilhelm, said this week that she is already sensing some winds of change as students read and discuss the book. She is hoping for a big turnout for the Feb. 15 and 16 forums for community members and parents. "The law says that every school will provide a safe and civil learning environment for every child—and that is what we are trying to do," she said. Wilhelm for his part is thrilled to be returning next week to the Randolph area, where he began research for "The Revealers" 10 years ago. Bullying is a hugely important topic, he said, because it is more than a teenage phase. For victims, bullying can create "lifelong damage," and young bullies can develop patterns of interactions leading to future crimes of abuse and domestic assault. "It’s a type of violence," Wilhelm observed, "and that’s why it matters that we look at this." 3-Town Focus On Bullying The Feb. 15 and 16 residency—dubbed "Three Towns One Book!"—will see Wilhelm in the schools during the day, and leading sessions for parents and other adults in the evenings. The evening sessions will be: • Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6:30 p.m. at Kimball Public Library, and • Thursday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m., at Randolph Elementary School. Free copies of the book are still available at Cover To Cover bookstore in Randolph and at Kimball. The residency is sponsored by the Prevention Partnership of Braintree, Brookfield, and Randolph, and funded by Randolph Rotary, the Tobacco-free Coalition, and a BEST grant from the Vermont Dept. of Education. ____________ |
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