Inspired by a movie trailer for “Bully,” senior Nicole Schimmel said she had been affected emotionally to the point that she felt compelled to make a difference in her community by helping students make it past the “torment” of bullies.
Schimmel set out to see if she could get support for a new club proposal, and she established the club with the assistance of sponsor Lori Sue Huguelet earlier this fall. The group meets weekly for discussion and to explore bringing guest speakers to Glenbrook North to assist them with spreading their message.
According to Schimmel, her new club called “GBN Stands for the Silent” is intended to give victims an outlet with their peers to empower themselves against bullies.
“I think [students] are scared to deal with bullies because they’re going against their friends,” said Schimmel. “It’s hard to stand up, and I think they’re fearful that they won’t have anyone there to support them.”
Schimmel added that the club is intended to educate people on how to handle bullies, and that members are there for those who “may not have a friend or feel alone.”
The club is a chapter of an outside organization called “Stand for the Silent,” an organization that says it is intended to offer “education and tools” to prevent tragedies like suicide. The organization also exists as a platform for speaker Kirk Smalley, a leader in the organization. According to Schimmel, Smalley is scheduled to speak to the Glenbrook community on March 19 – 20 at the spring All-School Workshop.
According to Huguelet, the club will be primarily effective at GBN by “giving victims of bullying an outlet and a safe place to talk about what’s happening to them and to feel support, to feel like they’re not having to suffer this alone.”
Huguelet added that “having this outlet may help reduce the amount of bullying.”
“Stands for the Silent means we stand up and help the silent have a voice,” said Huguelet. “Instead of focusing on what we can do to change the bully, who’s getting the attention, we focus on the people who really need help, which are the victims of bullying, and giving them a platform and a safe spot and support from other students.”