Camp Super Friend

Today we welcomed two PTSA-sponsored assemblies with Taproot Theater's Camp Super Friend for all students K-5. The play was about Marvel, who has just returned to Earth from his family's intergalactic mission, and finds himself at Super Hero Camp trying to make friends. His efforts are complicated when he sees Jet, one of the other campers, making friends by putting others down and showing off. After failing in his own attempts to emulate Jet, Marvel is given some friendly advice and a second chance to connect with the other campers by Cosma, one of the teachers at camp. Meanwhile Professor Nemesis, who wants everyone to be the same, has concocted an evil plan to drain the campers of their superpowers through tainting the camp's supply of Lunar Candy Bars. Marvel and his new found friends discover the plot before they are drained of their powers and work together to catch Professor N and distribute an antidote to the rest of the camp. By the conclusion of the play, Marvel and his friend have discovered and practiced practical skills in conversation starting, self-control, acceptance, teamwork and bullying prevention.

This is another key component in our building's behavior plan to promote positive behavior and make Stillwater a place where everyone belongs. After the play, teachers conducted discussions in their classrooms about the play and it's message. Here are some questions to talk over with your child to further apply today's learning and get their impression of the play's message:

1. What parts of the play did you like best? Were there parts that made you think more than others? Were there things in the play that surprised you?

2.What characters did you like best, and why? Who did you most identify with?

3. What can you do to make and keep friends?

4. Can you define what bullying is?

5. In the play, Parker and Dalia were really good allies when other were being bullied. What is an ally? What things can you do to be a good ally?

6. How can we stop bullying at our school?

Some helpful bullying definitions:

Bullying: Bullying is one-sided and unfair. It happens when someone who is more powerful, physically or socially, repeatedly hurts, scares, threatens or leaves out another student.

Bystander: Someone who witnesses bullying behavior.

Ally: Someone who witnesses bullying behavior and helps the student being bullied, either by intervening on the situation or by reporting the behavior to a teacher.
Tattling: Telling on someone just to get them in trouble or to get revenge.

Recognize, Refuse, Report: When faced with a bullying situation, it is important to recognize that the behavior is a bullying behavior, refuse the behavior by staying calm and confident when asking them to stop, and by reporting the behaviors by telling and adult you trust in order to keep someone or yourself from getting hurt.

From Steps to Respect, our district's anti-bullying curriculum, by the Committee for Children. For more information, visit www.cfchildren.org