Schools

World Wrestling Star to Help Tyl Kids Learn to Fight Bullying

Sheamus - who was bullied as a child! - will visit Tyl Middle School to teach how to show tolerance and respect

And now… in this corner… fighting bullying in Montville…. it’s WWE Superstar Sheamus, recent winner of the Royal Rumble!

That’s right! Montville’s newest champion in the fight against bullying is none other than the WWE’s Sheamus, who is scheduled to come to the Leonard J. Tyl Middle School on Tuesday to help kids learn how to stop bullying.

It’s part of a program called “be a STAR,” which stands for “Show Tolerance And Respect.” The program promotes positive social interaction and encourages people to treat others as equals.

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Sheamus says he asked to be a part of the anti-bullying program.

“I was someone who was bullied as a child,” he said Tuesday. “It affected me for a number of years.”

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A short, pudgy, red-headed kid

Sheamus says he went to school in inner-city Dublin,  and, he says, “I didn’t always look like this. I was a short, pudgy, red-headed kid. I had some of the worst haircuts a child ever had. I got teased an awful lot,” he said. “I was an easy target.”

“Kids don’t understand” the effect that bullying can have on other kids. “They don’t realize how negative it is.” Sheamus talked about face-to-face bullying, and bullying on Facebook and Twitter, too, and how it can make a kid’s life “a misery.”

While wrestling is built on violence, and often on a strong man – a bully – vs. a weakling, “One of the things we let the kids know, too, is violence solves nothing,” Sheamus says. “Violence absolutely solves nothing."

The WWE program is part of an alliance with the National Education Association Health Information Network, GLAAD, True Educator Inc., Ad Council, Island Def Jam Music Group, Close Up Foundation and others. The anti-bullying curriculum was created by the National Education Association’s Health Information Network.

“WWE, our story lines, it’s entertainment," Sheamus says. "It’s a show. There’s a huge disconnect between who we are in the ring and who we are away from the ring.

“Being a WWE Superstar is something I have wanted to do my entire life. It’s great to get into the ring and be able to perform, but there’s another side to it, too. The majority of our viewership is kids and I feel strongly like giving back.

“If you have their attention, you can do more. I feel I have the ear of a lot of children in a positive way.”

A cooperative effort

The visit by Sheamus was part of a brainstorm by Montville Mayor Ron McDaniel, the Mohegan Sun and Mohegan Tribe. The WWE will be at the Mohegan Sun Tuesday night.

Tyl Middle School Principal Mary Jane Dix says all three grade levels will be in the gym at the school at 11:45 on March 6 for the assembly.

Dix feels great that Tyl is the school to host the assembly.

“It was the luck of the draw, as a good thing,” she said.

Tyl students have been exposed to other anti-bullying programs and efforts, notably Rachel’s Challenge, this year and last. The Chainlinks club, which works to promote the values of Rachel’s Challenge is still active and doing good work, Dix said.

And anti-bullying programs are making a difference at Tyl, she said.

Sheamus says

Sheamus has advice for dealing with bullies:

Talk

When I was a kid, I was kind of ashamed to let my parents and teachers know (I was being bullied). It was just part of life.

The thing is, it’s not part of life. There is nothing, absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in talking to a teacher. Talk to your teachers. They have the power to end it.

Gather your friends

Friends can come together, too. Bullies think picking on someone makes them cool. If you alienate the bully, and don’t react, let them know it’s not cool, he doesn’t have an audience, it takes away from why they’re doing it. Groups of kids have the power to put an end to it, and of course teachers, faculty members.

Believe in yourself

I sit (the kids) down and tell them if you put your mind to it, and put your heart and soul into what you want to be, don’t let anyone ever tell you you can’t, you can achieve anything.

Living the dream

Sheamus came here from Ireland four years ago. There, he worked in IT security for Symantec. “It was a pretty good career; I had a house and everything.”

But he had always wanted to be a WWE Superstar, and while everyone around him had said that was impossible, he knew it wasn’t, and he was determined to prove them all wrong. And so, four years later, he is living the dream.

That’s an important message for the kids, he says. “If you really want it and you’re passionate about it,” and you’re willing to put everything into it, you can succeed at anything.

 

 

 

 

 


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