Boys Get Support from Rising Star and Veterans in Their Stand Against Bullying
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 13, 2012)
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A new campaign against bullying called NoBystanders.me asks each of us to intervene when we see bullying happen. The campaign, launched in time for Bullying Awareness Week (November 12-17), features boys from Robert Land Academy (RLA), a Canadian Military themed school for boys in |
grades 6 - 12 which accepts students from all around the world. Nobystanders.me offers a video, poster and a pledge which asks those who sign to promise not to bully and not to be a bystander when bullying happens. The video has garnered almost 4000 views and the pledge more than 1700 signatures, including those of Hollywood actor and RLA alumnus Spencer Lofranco and World War II veteran and peace time hero Ronald (Andy) Anderson.
Nobystanders.me came out of a leadership class at RLA in which the boys, many of whom had been bullied, many of whom had bullied, explored issues around bullying. The video is told completely in their own words and the pledge they encourage everyone to sign is reflective of the one they all put their names to at the completion of the class.
"I signed the pledge because it reminds me to treat others respectfully and that I have the power to make a difference when someone else is being bullied," said Spencer Lofranco, an RLA graduate (2010) who stars in two upcoming Hollywood Films, Jamesy Boy, as the title character alongside Mary-Louise Parker, James Woods and Ving Rhames; and Admissions, as Andy Garcia's son. Both will be released in 2013.
Lofranco credits the school, which stresses academic excellence and rigorous exercise, with helping him find the discipline within himself to successfully pursue his chosen career. The school boasts a 100 per cent acceptance rate to the post-secondary school of their choice for any student who chooses to go on.
"I signed the pledge because this school produces young men who go on to be leaders in our community. Some become entrepreneurs, business executives, firefighters, police officers, politicians, actors… and whatever they do, this pledge will serve as a constant reminder to them and everyone else who signs it to treat others with respect," said Ronald (Andy) Anderson, 90, a World War II veteran featured in the November 11 History Television special series War Story, episodes "Out of the Clouds" and "Across the Rhine" and peace time hero of the Noronic fire, which resulted in the largest loss of life in Toronto's history.
Established in 1978 and located in rural Ontario, Robert Land Academy is Canada's only private military boarding school. The school has great success in working with boys diagnosed with ADD / ADHD, ODD and other Learning Disabilities. Highly structured, it offers extensive academic remediation and support and a physical activity program that promotes a healthy lifestyle, personal growth and a distraction-free environment. For more information on the school, please visit www.robertlandacademy.com and for more information on the campaign, please visit www.nobystanders.me.
