Teacher presents anti-bullying campaign to wide audience

Teacher presents anti-bullying campaign to wide audience

(AP) — One of the lessons Rebekah Hodge enjoys teaching her Thompkins Middle School students doesn't involve language arts, literature or social studies — all of which she teaches.

The activity is called "Wrinkle on my Heart," and its goal is to promote anti-bullying.

Hodge presented the Committee to Promote Respect in Schools — CYPRESS' — anti-bullying project dubbed HEART to a worldwide audience at the National Association for Gifted Children last month in Phoenix, Arizona.

CYPRESS, founded in 1999, aims to build respect and diversity in schools throughout the Evansville community.

The organization offers teacher workshops and lesson plans related to major historical events such as the Holocaust and the civil rights movement.

CYPRESS invited a group of Evansville teachers and administrators to join them for anti-bullying workshops and to pitch anti-bullying lessons of their own, which the organization then compiled on its websitecypressevansville.org.

CYPRESS members decided they wanted their anti-bullying project to reach a national audience, so Hodge applied to present at two different national conferences.

Some of Hodge's students helped her prepare for the presentation, including Maggie Lowe, an 8th grade student at Thompkins.

Through CYPRESS, Hodge has been awarded various opportunities, including having Holocaust survivors speak to her classes.