Glendaal fifth-graders premier ‘How to Unmake a Bully’
Fifth-graders stepped out of a limo and walked down the red carpet as friends and family cheered on the movie stars.
The Glendaal Elementary School students had worked for several months creating a film to help quell bullying problems called How to Unmake a Bully. The fanfare of a red carpet entrance on Friday, June 24, to Scotia-Glenville High School was a surprise to the fifth graders and a reward for their hard work. Some appeared baffled upon arriving in the unexpected limo to family and friends, but others excitedly jumped out and basked in their glory. Several parents lined the carpet and snapped pictures, creating an almost paparazzi feel to the scene.
`At Glendaal we have the theme of a caring cardinal community and we were trying to figure out ways we could be a more caring cardinal community,` said Principal Thomas Eagan. `[Teacher’s Aide] Mike Feurstein had popped up and said why don’t we make a movie about any bullying issues that may be going on.`
The idea behind the nearly 30-minute short film started off with the idea of just making a few sketches on bullying issues. There were a total 47 kids helping out on the film, with some from different grades, and a core group of around 11 students constantly helped make the film.
`These ideas were coming out of the group and they were just so great and they had such depth that we decided it could be a lot more,` said Feurstein, also known as `Mr. Mike` by the kids. `It just couldn’t have been done without them putting forth the effort to do it and I can’t stress that enough.`
He is a teacher’s aide at the school, but he isn’t new to film making. He has several productions under his belt, which helped the movie have a professional polish.
After some technical problems getting the movie started, the film premiered in the high school’s auditorium with gripping introduction music. The story follows one main story of bullying and how a group of students go about solving it, but intertwined throughout the movie are several other bullying situations and how they tie into the main conflict.
`They are true situations things that they [kids] have either heard about, or been specifically involved in themselves,` said Eagan.
The hope is more than just more than just the Glendaal students and fellow elementary schools in the district will see the film.
`We have had other schools inquire, they have heard a little about it, and they want to use this as an educational tool, which is what our plan is,` said Eagan `We are really excited that this is going to hopefully help us change and make Glendaal even better, but also share this with schools in our district and hopefully they’ll see that as nice tool to use to educating our youngsters about bullying.`
Though Eagan recognized bullying isn’t something that changes overnight, as seen in the film, it is important to start helping to solve the problem.
`I think something important that came through in the film is planting the seed,` said Eagan.
The film is also going to be sent to Kids First, said Feurstein, which is a group of adults training children how to look at analyze movies critically. The PTA is providing funding for DVD copies of the movie to be made.
Over the past few years, said Feurstein, he has worked with kids a lot, but this is the youngest group of children he had worked with on an independent piece.
`The kids made it way easy,` he said. `For a fourth- and fifth-grader to stand quietly, cameras rolling, hold the boom (microphone) for maybe a minute and wait their turn, I was blown away.`
He said the movie was successful because it provided a narrative for the kids to become attached to while watching it.
`It is not talking at the kids. It is not giving them a list of things to remember. It is engaging them in a story and emotions based on their thoughts towards these characters that then find resolution in the end,` he said. `This is giving them choice even while watching.`
This might not be the last red carpet event for Glendaal students though, because there is a sequel brewing.
`I know [Feurstein] is talking about a part two on ‘How to Unmake a Bully,’ so there will be more movies to come,` said Eagan.
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