Road Stories

TAKE A BITE OUT OF BULLYING

In 2007, Parkway South Middle School, the "Home of the Patriots" formed Patriot Unity Groups (PUG) consisting of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Every certified staff member has a PUG group that they meet with monthly, and they stay with the same group year after year.

According to Dr. Angela Frye, Assistant Principal, the driving idea behind the PUG is: "You are free to be yourself, and so is everyone else." Dr. Frye goes on to say that "PUG continues to evolve and this year we made a concerted effort to tackle bullying, and we use a lot of music and video. We wanted to specifically address bullying on the bus and we struggled to find an appropriate media, so we decided to make our own. The link below is the very proud work of our students and staff!"

Click on this link to watch the video created by the students and staff of Parkway South Middle School

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QuJQikGfH4

An interesting footnote: Parkway conducted a district-wide survey last year on bullying. When kids at all grade levels were asked where bullying occurs, "on the bus" came in a surprising fifth place, behind "in the hallways"; "in the cafeteria"; "on the playground" and "in the classroom".

Congratulations to the students and staff of Parkway South Middle on the production of this music video. Kudos, too, to the Parkway Transportation Department, and especially to the drivers and special needs monitors, for helping make kids feel safe and protected on the buses.

This page is dedicated to the men and women who safely transport Missouri's students to and from school each day. If you have a driver or attendant in your district who you feel deserves special recognition - whether for a milestone anniversary, or for service "above and beyond" the call of duty - please contact Shirley Francis, MAPT Executive Director, to submit your story.