WS Chronicle

South Fork Elementary students received a lesson on how to combat bullying from Harlem Globetrotter Jonathan “Hawk” Thomas on Tuesday, Oct. 21 as part of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools’ slate of bullying awareness programs this month.

Harlem Globetrotter Jonathan “Hawk” Thomas speaks to students at South Fork Elementary School.

“I, myself, was bullied at a young age. So to have the opportunity to give back to those who may be going through the same situation and showing them how to deal with it and stop it in a positive way is great,” Thomas said.

He stressed the ABC’s of bullying prevention: Action, Bravery and Compassion. The first step encourages students to report acts of bullying. Thomas told students they should be brave enough to step in to make sure the bully understands that it’s not okay to bully people and compassionate enough to show the person being bullied that they care.

After the short lesson, Thomas displayed the b-ball dexterity that Harlem Globetrotters are known for. The Morehead City native graduated from N.C. State University and has been a Globetrotter for three years.

Thomas shows Kindergarten teacher Barry Hill how to execute a trick as First-grade teacher Becca Oliver and students Kalonji Patterson and Mackenzy Poli look on.

He said coupling a serious topic like bullying with some of his basketball tricks puts his audience at ease.

“With kids, you always want to show them the fun side of things. That’s what they’re going to respond to, so you want to loosen them up and make sure they are not nervous because you want them to participate,” Thomas said. “Bullying is a very serious topic. As long as they are loosened up, they will be able to pay attention more and hone in on the topic.”

Guidance Counselor Ann Williams said someone from the Globetrotters contacted her and offered to provide a player to talk to students.

Kindergarten teacher Barry HIll shows off his moves.

Williams

“We are putting emphasis on the importance of staying away and standing up for bullying,” she said. “Bullying is a very important issue because a lot of children are being bullied and are being hurt by it. We want to keep it at the forefront so children will know how to handle themselves and what they can do about it if they are bullied.”

Earlier in the month, the school was among several that held a UNITY walk to bring awareness to bullying. There have been other efforts as well.

Kalonji Patterson, 7, displays his talents.

“We have been going in the classrooms to teach lessons on bullying; talking to parents about how they can help their children if they are being bullied; and (we have) a school-wide pledge, where students signed a banner saying that they will not be or stand for bullying,” Williams said.
Thomas said the ultimate goal is to make sure students know that bullying is not OK.

“Even if they don’t understand the concept, it is very important that they know how to deal with bullies. Even if it’s not action, bravery and compassion, being able to stand up, tell teachers, not being afraid to tell on a bully is very important,” he said.

The Harlem Globetrotters will be at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 21, 2015 at 7 p.m. For more information about the show visit www.ljvm.com.

For more information about the ABC’s of bullying, visit www.harlemglobetrotters.com/ambassadors-of-goodwill/abcs-of-bullying-prevention.