2017 "For Good" Video Contest

Grand prize winner Middleburg Community Charter School

Middleburg Community Charter School (MCCS), from Middleburg, VA promotes upstander behavior by engaging students in immersive classes about mindfulness and the effects of stress. MCCS also started the Three R's Program, which teaches students about respect for self, respect for others, and respect for property. The Three R's Program is all about remembering that respect is an empowering attitude for oneself and for others. In Physical Education class, students learn about how to work together and how to include everyone in team games. In the STEAM lab, students learn about how to work together and about how to cooperate.

Throughout this video, the students at MCCS thoughtfully reflect on the negative impact bullying has on others and on the bullies themselves. They reflect on what they would do to stop bullying and they talk about what it means to make the world a better place. MCCS has brought together students, teachers, faculty, parents, and community members to work toward a unified goal of making their school a safe environment. As the grand prize winning school, Middleburg Community Charter School will be visited by a cast member of WICKED to share more about their anti-bullying efforts, and to learn more about what they can do to strengthen their upstander efforts "For Good"! Congratulations Middleburg Community Charter School!

Finalist Stafford Intermediate School

Stafford Intermediate School from Manahawkin, NJ took the challenge of the "For Good" video contest and excelled to become one of our amazing finalists. They show what it means to be an upstander in their video submission by illustrating the importance that one person, and the whole school community, has in changing a bullied victim's life. In the video, a girl in school is bullied by her peers whom reject her on the bus, in the library, at lunch, and in the hallway. The girl is broken and defeated, but is brought back to positivity when a friend takes her hand and pulls her up to stand on her feet. Their video shows the difference between what it means to be bystanders—the students who stand back and use their phones to take videos of the bullied girl, and what it means to be upstanders—the school members who proactively help the girl overcome her bullies. One by one all the students, staff, teachers, and community members join hands. At the end, even the bully joins the circle and becomes the last link of the chain. Stafford Intermediate School's video depicts the power an upstander has to stop bullying. If we stand together against bullying, we are stronger and unified. Great Job Stafford Intermediate School!

Finalist Midway Elementary School

The Midway Vikings Team from Midway Elementary School in Cleveland, OH, creatively shows why people bully and how one can rise above bullying behavior. In their video submission, a girl named Macy is being bullied by her peers who snatch away the picture she's coloring. Upon wishing for help, she is visited by Harry and Hermoine from the Harry Potter Series, who take her to the Hall of Justice, a place where superheroes and villains reside. The superheroes give Macy advice on what she can do to overcome bullying behavior, such as standing up for others and confiding in friends. She also gets the chance to ask the villains why they bully, and finds that its usually due to a problem that they have with themselves—not with the person being bullied. Their bullying stems from feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and misdirected anger. When she comes back to the classroom, Macy is enlightened by her experience and extends a hand of forgiveness to the bullies, who want to play kickball with her at recess.

Through this video, the Midway Vikings Team uniquely shows how they are mindful of bullying behavior. They do a great job at pointing out that there are two sides of the bully—one side that is outwardly mean, and one that needs help and intervention. Fantastic job, Midway Elementary School!