Middletown High School students and staff took a stand against bullying by wearing orange and signing a banner on Oct. 22 to show respect for others and to raise awareness for the National Bullying Prevention Center.  The effort was part of Unity Day at MHS and across the country.

Unity Day is a day of “national recognition of bullying awareness,” said Meredith Bagnell, MHS guidance counselor. Bagnell said that participating promotes providing a safe and supportive school and that wearing orange sends a message of “hope and unity.”

“Bullying is a bigger problem than the community of Middletown believes,” Bagnell said. “A stem of cyberbullying carries over to school, leaving people unaware of it happening.”

Logan Bramhall, president of the Student Government Association, said that the school is supporting awareness. Bramhall said that MHS doesn’t have “a lot of (stereotypical) bullying, but maybe exclusiveness.”  Bramhall was wearing an orange top as part of her outfit.

Marcia Stutzman, MHS foreign language teacher, addressed the topic of bullying in class with her students. Unity Day is all about “doing what we can to show support,” Stutzman said, sporting a skirt with orange in it.

Unity Day was a way for the students at MHS to stand up for those being bullied and put an end to it. As MHS freshman Sophy Blumberg said, “Be more active in trying to find out who is being bullied and help them.”