Lake Orion Students Deliver Strong Message Against Bullying

"Be the change you want to see in the world. Lake Orion and Oxford stand together 2 stand 4 change," is the message that the Lake Orion and Oxford student bodies physically delivered on Friday for Stand 4 Change Day.

Stand 4 Change Day is a national day created to bring awareness to bullying and to prompt students nationwide to take a pledge to stand up against bullies. The day was created by Bloomfield Hills-based bullying nonprofit group Defeat the Label and Ken Kragen, creator and organizer of "We Are the World."

More than 2,100 schools participated in the event on Friday, many honoring the day by engaging in a lesson on bullying at noon, or by taking the pledge. Lake Orion decided to do something a little different.

Every school in the Lake Orion and Oxford school districts was assigned a word to spell out Friday morning. To cap off the message, Lake Orion and Oxford high school students who are part of the group together formed a heart. Bully Busters are students that are trained in their schools' and work with middle school students.

"A collaboration like this is huge," said Sarah Perry, assistant principal. "It's a friendly rivalry and this is showing that the two communities are coming together – that’s what needs to happen if we're going to stand up against bullying."

The idea for Friday's activities originated with Perry, who wanted to take Stand4Change Day activities one step further. A helicopter flew over every school Friday morning to capture the message.

"I hope it’s memorable for the kids and brings awareness and makes conversations start happening between the parents and the kids," Perry said. "I hope it brings more dialogue about the topic and gives them the confidence if they see it (bullying) happening they can stand up and do something about it."

With so many students at , students had to sign up to be a part of the initiative. About 800 Lake Orion High School students marched onto the football field Friday morning standing next to their classmates, arranging their bodies to form "Lake Orion."

"I think anti-bullying initiatives are extremely important," said Tom Tobe, interim principal at Lake Orion High School.

"It only takes one person to say 'that's not cool' or 'knock it off' ... I think these initiatives need to be continued," Tobe added.