Union County
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Volume 9, Number 45 • Nov. 6 to 12, 2014
Putting
Principal of the Year focuses on goal setting
an end to
Mayor begins anti-bullying initiative he hopes to bring countywide
by Ryan Pitkin ryan@unioncountyweekly.com
INDIAN TRAIL - With the help of elected officials and South Piedmont Community College (SPCC) staff, Indian Trail Mayor Michael Alvarez kicked off his own local efforts as part of a nationwide initiative against bullying on Oct. 29. Alvarez is one of 200 mayors across the country who have joined the “Mayors Campaign to End Bullying,”an effort spearheaded by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Project Bully to end bullying in schools. Alvarez and SPCC sociology professor Steve Smith led a discussion with school staff, students and others in attendance about what constitutes bullying, how bullies begin and other related issues. They also screened the movie “Bully”, a 2011 documentary that follows the lives of five kids who face bullying on a daily basis. SPCC is in Monroe, just over the border from Indian Trail, but Alvarez said he hopes the event was the beginning of a growing effort to become curriculum in all Union County Public Schools. “(Bullying) is an epidemic that’s becoming an avalanche that nobody feels like they can stop,” Alvarez said. “Students are lashing out at other students. On the Internet, it’s become faceless. This will be an in-your-face program, so we can quit hiding that it exists.”
Bullying
Dr. Kevin Plue implementing positive changes to help students reach their full potential by Josh Whitener josh@unioncountyweekly.com
Madison Rowell, a first-year student at SPCC, attended the event and said she hopes the program can grow and make an impact. She said many similar efforts lose momentum because they cannot gain enough support. This lets bullying in schools, an issue she takes very personally, continue unchecked. Rowell grew up in Monroe and was bullied throughout middle school, both physically and mentally. She now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder. Her anxiety often overwhelms her when she is in public spaces or tries to speak aloud, she said. “People don’t realize it. If they lash out in anger or say things to you because you’re not as cool as they think you should be, according to their standards, that action lingers on,” Rowell said. “If (the victims) don’t commit suicide they may go on to have serious disorders. It’s not something that disappears in a matter of days, months or years.” Statistics have shown that victims of bullying who have been diagnosed with PTSD have shown the same symptoms of those returning from war, Smith said. “It is that serious, and has drastic consequences,” he said. “It is something that needs to be addressed.” Although the program is in its infancy stage, brainstorming discussions like the one held at SPCC vital to creating a core
MARSHVILLE – Dr. Kevin Plue didn’t set out to become a school administrator. It was a desire to coach that first led Plue into education, but a growing desire to help students and teachers succeed paved the way for Plue to become principal of Forest Hills High School and, ultimately, the 2014-15 Union County Public Schools Principal of the Year. Plue was announced as Principal of the Year at a recent UCPS Luncheon, where he was presented with a certificate, plaque and $1,000 from the nonprofit Union County Education Foundation to use at his school for whatever project he chooses. “It’s kind of been a journey,” Plue said about his experience in education. “As I grew in the (teaching) profession and wanted to broaden my influence, it just seemed natural to go into administration.” Plue earned an undergraduate degree in secondary education with a concentration in social studies from Athens State University in Alabama, and began his career as a high school history teacher in Augusta, Georgia. He spent about
(see Anti-bullying on page 11)
(see Forest Hills on page 17)
INDEX: News Briefs, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Scores, 8; Education, 12; Honor Roll, 15; Rev. Tony, 18; Calendar, 20; Sports, 21; Classifieds, 27
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