Gary students learn how to 'stomp out' bullying

GARY, Ind. (WLS) -- There's no room for bullies at a Gary elementary school. That's the message the Aspire Charter Academy is living by throughout the month of October.

At an all school assembly on Monday, students learned how to "stomp out" bullying.

Elijah Thompson, 12, is striking a chord with his fellow middle schoolers with a message to stop bullying.

The sixth-grader's performance is part of the Aspire Charter Academy's goal to "stomp out bullying." Thompson says he knows firsthand what it feels like to get pushed around.

"When I was in Kindergarten, I used to get bullied all the time by some little kids. They used to hit me and push me all the time," Thompson said.

And as students get older, the problems can progress. This is the first year the school is adopting the national initiative to increase awareness about bullying in all forms during the month of October.

"We have someone that will be coming to talk about social media, just so they can realize that bullying is not just the physical aspect but if they're doing the social media bullying as well," said Tomeka Poe, teacher.

The Gary school kicked off the month-long initiative with a visit from a juvenile probation officer. He set out to educate students about the potential consequences of bullying.

"Sometimes things get out of hand. There could be a situation where it's just joking or picking on shoes or clothes and before you know it, they're grabbing or intimidating. Somewhere down the line that could be construed as something that's against the law. It's best to be proactive rather than reactive," said Alphonso Royal, juvenile probation officer.

ABC 7 and our parent company, Disney, are part of an initiative to stop bullying by encouraging kids to "choose kindness."