Diamond Bar Library and Walnut Valley schools combat bullying

Diamond Bar library officials are offering options to combat bullying and cyber-bullying.

Jesse Lanz, administrative librarian, created a pilot program to help 11- to
13-year-old tweens and teenagers age 14 to 18 resist bullies.

Steven Angel, founder of the Drumming For Your
Life Institute, and La Puente resident George Martinez, one of six
institute facilitators, recently used percussionistic patterns to
express emotions and teach values which combat bullying.

The drum masters return to the library at 3 p.m. Monday.

Puppeteer Rich Woloski presents a puppet show at 3 p.m. today
to show younger children how to resist being bullies or victims of
bullies. The Theater of Hearts concludes the series with art workshops
at 3 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays May 14-24.

“We did focus groups with our teens and tweens in November
2011 and asked them to brainstorm, then tell us the things they’d like
to see at the library,” Lanz said. “They listed two major concerns:
self-defense and bullying.”

Lanz, parent Bonnie Chow of Diamond Bar and Chaparral
Middle School sixth-graders Hannah Salazar, Tatiana Smith, Clarissa
Ramirez and Amaya Armstead said Walnut Valley Unified School District
educators, particularly Chaparral Principal Ron Thibodeaux, use regular
video presentations and special lessons to educate students about
bullying and teach them how to avoid being victimized.

Read more in Imani Tate’s story BULLY.