OFF PAGE ONE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9
BULLYING
Continued from Page A1
and tailor lessons to problem areas.
The Hermiston School District
also hired two additional social
workers, to its previous one social
worker, within the last year to help
address bullying and other mental
health issues.
“They are a support to stu-
dents,” he said.
The pandemic, and students
being kept at home for extended
periods, have necessitated this
addition, he said.
Greenough said when there is a
report of bullying, school admin-
istrators investigate it. Then, he
said, there are consequences.
The exact defi nition of bul-
lying is diffi cult to pin down, he
said, though he added it involves
a power dynamic in which one or
more people have power over oth-
ers and are abusive. It can take
place in person or over the inter-
net, he said.
Dealing with it becomes com-
plicated, he stated, as it only
becomes a school issue when
it involves students while at
school. Also, he said, it can
sometimes be difficult to know if
a reported case is actual or per-
ceived, which is why investiga-
tions are necessary.
In these cases, schools contact
involved parties, including par-
ents, to discuss bullying and how
they can move forward more civ-
illy. Sometimes, depending on the
severity of the bullying, students
are met with consequences, he
said.
Resolution is important, Gree-
nough said, because bullying can
have terrible eff ects.
“We want to make sure that stu-
dents are supported through their
educational experience,” he said.
Lack of support, Greenough
said, can lead to mental health
issues.
He also said there have been
deaths in Hermiston students, but
he could not say whether instances
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Ryan Humphrey, dean of students at Clara Brownell Middle School, Umatilla, stands next to a poster Friday,
April 22, 2022, at his school. The poster promotes good behavior, including showing respect to others. He agrees
bullying is an important issue.
“STUDENTS, WHO FACE BULLYING,
FREQUENTLY DON’T WANT TO COME
TO SCHOOL.”
— Nayeli Guzman-Madrigal, counselor at Clara Brownell
Middle School in Umatilla.
involved either suicide or could be
tied to bullying.
School counselor sees the aff ects
Over at Clara Brownell Mid-
dle School in the Umatilla School
District, school counselor Nayeli
Guzman-Madrigal off ered her own
insights on bullying. She said she
speaks to bullied students, as well
as the bullies themselves.
“The way that I like to look at
bullying is when the instigator
seeks to harm, intimidate or coerce
someone who they see as a vulner-
able victim,” she said.
She added she has seen a wide
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Susan Whelan takes notes at the League of Oregon Cities
Spring Conference in Hermiston, Friday, April 22, 2022.
Whelan was selected recently to serve as Stanfi eld’s mayor.
WHELAN
Continued from Page A1
cil meetings are not enough
for people.
“I want to be available
to people,” she said. To that
end, she is planning regu-
lar community breakfasts
where she and a city coun-
cilor can meet over a meal
at the Stanfi eld Commu-
nity Center, 225 Roosevelt
St. There, she can hear from
people, get their ideas and
discuss issues.
The next breakfast meet-
ing, she said, will be Satur-
day, May 7, 7-10 a.m.
She said she is looking
forward to meeting people.
She added that she hopes
they will see her as she sees
herself, a person who is not
afraid to make tough deci-
sions and “say things that
need to be said.”
Further, she said she
wants to live up to her image
as a person who gets things
done. Before retiring, she
worked at Banner Bank for
20 years. She was a purchas-
ing manager, she said, and
has experience with fi nances
and teamwork.
In the coming months and
years as mayor, she said she
will look after continuing
projects in town. Construc-
tions projects and clean-
ing up Main Street are two
things, which she said are on
her mind.
She said she feels “a bit
embarrassed” about the
limelight, but she is looking
forward to the opportunity to
help.
Also, she shied away
from saying she was excited.
“I wouldn’t use that
word,” she said. “I don’t get
excited. I’ve looked forward
to things, or I’ve dreaded
them. At this point of my
life, I don’t need to dread.”
This leaves the 70-year-
old Whelan looking forward
to her mayoral work.
At the upcoming swear-
ing-in ceremony, she will
step down as a city coun-
cilor and take on the
mantle of mayor, serv-
ing out the remainder of
McCann’s term.
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range of bullying. Sometimes, a
bully will threaten harm, making
students feel fearful. It has a signif-
icant mental health eff ect, she said.
“It aff ects their self-confi dence,”
she said. “Students, who face bully-
ing, frequently don’t want to come
to school. They kind of withdraw
from participating in other activi-
ties, which students are normally
engaged in.”
She said Clara Brownell tries to
act quickly when there is a report
of bullying. Then, she said, a clear
message can be sent “that bullying
is not accepted at our school.”
According to Guzman-Madri-
gal, potential punishment includes
detention,
in-school
suspen-
sion, suspension from school or
expulsion.
“It just depends on the severity
of the incident,” she said.
The case of Marc Martinez
Martinez, who said he is a victim
of bullying in Hermiston, said he is
otherwise happy. He likes his school,
his teachers and his friends. He loves
basketball, idolizes NBA star Steph
Curry and often practices basketball.
Unfortunately, he said, even his
love of basketball is damaged as a
result of bullying.
One classmate in particular
makes fun of him for being thin and
mocking his skills, he said. In addi-
tion, he said, Martinez’s bully has
roughed him up as they have played
against one another.
He said he has reported the bul-
lying to a teacher, who brought the
case up to the school administration.
His mother, Melissa Strong, has got-
ten involved, as have other parents
and people at the school.
Strong described a cycle. Bully-
ing is reported and addressed. Then,
she said, it will stop for a while, while
Martinez’s alleged bully moves on to
other students. According to Strong,
the bully returns after a while to pick
on Martinez again, only for the cycle
to repeat.
She described this problem as
frustrating, a sentiment her son
shared.
Martinez said the bullying has
gotten worse, as it has begun to
involve his sister. In one particu-
larly hurtful instance of bullying,
Martinez said, his bully told his
sister she is the reason for her par-
ents’ divorce.Martinez described
feeling hopeless about this situa-
tion. He said the bullying has got-
ten to the point he does not even
want to talk about it.
He does not think anything will
change, he said, and his mother
said she has similar feelings. The
bullying increases mental instabil-
ity, she said, and she worries for
her son.
“The situation with him has been
an ongoing thing, and I think it will
eventually take a toll on his mental-
ity,” she said.
Escalation is another worry for
the pair. According to Martinez, his
bully is trying to encourage other
students to bully him.
“He shouldn’t have to come
home from school, crying or upset,”
Strong said. “And he shouldn’t have
to go to school, afraid to be himself.
He should be able to focus on other
things.”
Instead, she added, it is bothering
him, aff ecting his schoolwork and
his well-being.
Meanwhile, Martinez said he is
trying to keep a positive outlook.
He said he thinks of his Golden
State Warriors’ hero, Curry, and
tries to follow his example. Curry,
too, felt pressure from people who
were not very nice to him growing
up, Martinez said. “I’ll try to do
that, too,” Martinez said.
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