By Aaron Johnson
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP - Kings Mills Elementary will go after bullying in an initiative that begins today.

"Every year you can only take on so many new projects and initiatives in the school (and have them be) effective," said Kings Principal Darcy Hanley. "This year we took on two: respect and bullying."

Dave Winebrenner, a counselor at Kings Mills and at South Lebanon Elementary, will help administer the program.

He and Columbia Elementary's assistant principal, Kathy Sabo, attended a three-day training session sponsored by the Academy of Medicine Alliance of Cincinnati. Titled, "Bullies and Victims," it is part of the academy's SAVE (Stop America's Violence Everywhere) program. Columbia has a fifth- and sixth-grade anti-bullying program.

"It's really falls under character education. We really emphasize responsibility for your own behavior and respect for each other and yourself," said Winebrenner.

The program consists of messages during the morning announcements, along with visits from Winebrenner to the fourth-grade classrooms. The messages stress standing up for classmates who are being bullied by someone else, and respect for other people, among other things.

"Nothing provoked (the decision to have the program), other than the fact that we felt it was a viable program and think every student at some time or another feels that he/she is being bullied," said Hanley.

"When they're at this age, they really don't know what to do. I think we have that responsibility (to show them what to do). We can't just expect them to know."