Eastside John P. Powell celebrates National Bullying Prevention Month

CONTRIBUTED BY
PAMELA HOLLOWAY

LAFAYETTE — Eastside John P. Powell Magnet School celebrated National Bullying Prevention Month last week with an inspiring art exhibition designed to promote empathy, kindness and understanding among students.

School counselor Robert Crawford, known as “Mr. Rob,” and art teacher Pritika Sharma collaborated to organize the event, which showcased student-created artwork exploring the meaning and impact of bullying.

Throughout the week and a half leading up to the exhibition, Crawford and Sharma worked closely with students on a variety of projects. Sixth graders created agamographs — a type of optical art that reveals different images when viewed from different angles — while second graders drew faces to illustrate how it feels to be bullied versus how it feels to be accepted.

The highlight of the event was the schoolwide “Empathy Heart” project. Students were asked, “How do you think your classmates feel when they are bullied?” Their thoughtful responses were written on colorful Post-it notes and arranged in the shape of a large heart, symbolizing the caring and inclusive spirit of the Eastside John P. Powell community.

The celebration also included a presentation by guest speaker Dr. Wendy Troop-Gordon, a professor at Auburn University. With more than 30 years of research experience in childhood peer relationships, developmental psychology and social cognition, Troop-Gordon delivered an engaging and research-based talk that students, parents and staff found both practical and inspiring.

Her message reinforced the importance of empathy, communication and positive peer support in creating a safe, welcoming environment for every student.