The Center for Disease Control reports that between 15 to 20 percent of high school kids are bullied nationwide every day. That would indicate approximately 180 to 240 of the 1,200 Monrovia High students get bullied daily.
Organized by the school's anti-bullying club, the assembly addressed the problem head on. There was candid talk from therapists, as well as from those who were bullied and did the bullying.
"Not a lot of people like to talk about it," said student Derringer Solis. "You don't want to think about it really if it happens to you. It's not good, not fun."
The girls sat on one side of the gym and the boys on the other. The symbolism is that they're different, and that they accept and respect the differences that make up the student body.
"There is always an undercurrent, and it is always there," said student Infinie De La O. "I have friends who have had online bullying happen to them. I have heard of bullying happening in our school."
Monrovia High, like many schools, have decided to talk about bullying openly and frankly. One of the speakers asked the students to think about a low point in their lives and how that felt.
"Hurting someone, wounding someone," said Keith Johnson. "Remember the pain you felt when you too was wounded."
The anti-bullying club's motto, "Don't fight, hug tight." The students took a pledge not to bully anyone. They were asked to help each other keep that pledge and eliminate bullying all together.
