Lies were told, rumors spread and insults flew on the second week of class at McMurray Middle School.
It wasn’t the students who were misbehaving, but a troupe of actors and actresses who visited McMurray on Friday, Sept. 10, to present a play meant to raise awareness about bullying in middle school and high school.
As part of the school’s annual Challenge Day, which kicks off the new school year with team-building and thought-provoking activities, Vashon’s Partners in Education sponsored a performance of Taproot Theatre Company’s play “Don’t Tell Jessica” at the school.
The company, which has several acting troupes that tour throughout the Pacific Northwest, premiered the brand-new play at McMurray. In the show a group of high schoolers discovers the danger of letting rumors spread and jokes go too far.
“I thought it resonated with the students and it was a very relevant scenario,” said Greg Allison, principal of McMurray.
Allison especially appreciated the play’s message about cyber-bullying, which he says is more subtle than traditional bullying but can be just as harmful.
“I think it is good education to consider those venues and help kids navigate social networking. … The goal of today is to bring light to that and challenge students to treat each other with respect,” he said.
In the play, the main character Jessica becomes the target of vicious rumors spread by a jealous friend through texting, e-mail and social networking. She is especially hurt when classmates contribute to a Facebook page set up as a forum for them to post mean things about her.
Nathan Jeffrey, the play’s director and the director of education for Taproot Theatre Company, said that while schools often request the company do shows on bullying, it’s becoming increasingly important that they address the issue of cyber-bullying as well.
“Cyber-bullying is becoming a national issue. It’s everywhere,” he said.
When the play was over, the five actors and actresses led the middle school audience in a discussion about their own experiences with bullying and how they could work to prevent it in the future.
Adrienne Littleton, who played the girl who started rumors in the play, told the students that while many students are never directly involved in bullying, most contribute to it by standing by and letting it happen.
“Most of us see it happen,” she said. “We spread the rumor or laugh at the joke.”
While Allison was pleased that Taproot Theater Company, which presented a similar play at McMurray two years ago, was able to return to the Island to help set a positive tone for the beginning of the school year, he believes bullying prevention requires year-round conversation, saying that periodic lessons on bullying will happen in students’ home rooms.
“It’s not just a one time fix, but a year-to-year emphasis.” he said.
