Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me is a well-known rhyme from childhood.  In today’s world, word and pictures may actually harm students if it is used in the form of cyber bullying.  In a national iSAFE study of fourth to eight graders, 42 percent of these students suffered the impact of cyberbullying through electronic devices such as cell phones and the internet. Cyberbullying is when a child, preteen or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another child, preteen or teen using the Internet, interactive and digital technologies or mobile phones. In many instances, these inappropriate acts are coordinated before students enter the school buildings. So the critical questions to be asked are: How does a video contest bring awareness to cyberbullying? Who are the recipients of the winning videos?

The San Francisco District Attorney’s (DA) Office along with the support of sponsors such as the San Francisco Unified School District, Zendesk, San Francisco Giants, Common Sense Media, James Hall Photography, United States Department of Justice, Filipina Women’s Network, National Center for Lesbian Rights, Bay Area Video Coalition, Twitter, Facebook and Zynga participated in the 2nd Annual “Bye Bye Bullying” video contest which is the DA’s office truancy initiative to keep kids in school.

The bullying awareness video contest was open to all middle and high school students in San Francisco. It focused on three themes: What is cyberbullying? What are the effects of cyberbullying? What can you do to prevent cyberbullying? According to San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, “Cyberbullying has become a part of every young person’s life affecting 56 percent of teens. The “Bye Bye Bullying” video contest inspired young people all over the city to find their voice and educate their peers to think critically, interact responsibility with technology and be part of the solution.”

For this video contest, 40 videos were submitted from San Francisco middle and high school students. Students showcased their knowledge of the digital world and offered solutions to stand up against bullying. The videos were judged on the quality of presentation, creativity, educational approach and the overall message conveyed. They were evaluated by a panel of Judges such as Renel Brooks-Moon, Radio personality and public address announcer for the San Francisco Giants; Cheryl Jennings, News Anchor for ABC 7 News; San Francisco Youth Commissioner Mia Tu Mutch and Jason Brock from the X Factor.

The video contest recognized a first, second and third place winners. The first place winner received a $250 gift card from Zendesk. The second place winner received a Jambox Classic courtesy of Jawbone. The third place winners received a signed baseball from the San Francisco Giants. With the DA’s belief that every student who entered the video contest is a winner, San Francisco-based companies Spotify and Zendesk is planning to host a celebration for all participating students on December 9th.

Sharing the highlight of the contest, first place went to Lillibelle Liang a ninth grader at Lincoln High School. Her video is titled, “Part of the 13 Millions.” Second place went to Christopher Pang, a 12th grader at Galileo High School.  His video is titled, “A Brief Intro to Cyberbullying.” Third place went to Allison Talker and Amy Johnson, both 11th graders at Wallenberg High School. Their video is titled, “Love Hate Make the Right Choice.”

Please click on the links to the videos or view them at the following: Liang: http://youtu.be/tQIXJRItlzw; Pang: http://youtu.be/zT9kl-jnqCM; and Talker/Johnson: http://youtu.be/zvse2eqDoAI. For additional information about the “Bye Bye Bullying” video contest, please visit: www.sfdistrictattorney.com.

We congratulate San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for its truancy initiative to keep kids in school. Bullying is harming our children physically and psychologically throughout the country. We must overcome this epidemic with the support of school, community and business partnerships such as the San Francisco DA’s Office.  We must “Pay it Forward” to make the world a better place for all humankind.

 Dr. Ronald Holmes is the author of four books, “Education Questions to be Answered,”  “Current Issues and Answers in Education,”  “How to Eradicate Hazing and “Professional Career Paths.” He is publisher of “The Holmes Education Post,” an education focused Internet newspaper.  Holmes is a former teacher, school administrator and district superintendent. He can be reached at [email protected].