Bullying is a recognized problem in American schools. It can lead to loss of self esteem, injury and even death. Members of the Wallenpaupack Area High School Drama Club recently performed an interactive play about bullying before hundreds of area seventh graders. After being humiliated and physically pushed around, the victim, played by Johnny Napolitano, brings a gun to school and winds up dead.

“Bullying is a really important subject,” Napolitano said later, “We wanted our audience to understand that they have options when they see someone being bullied or they're bullied themselves.”

The play was presented as part of the annual Together for Health School Program, led by Wayne Memorial Hospital and its local State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) partners. The program, usually coordinated with health education teachers, is designed to help students make healthy lifestyle choices.

After each performance at Wallenpaupack, Wayne Highlands and Western Wayne schools, the actors, all high school juniors and seniors, asked their younger audience to come up with ways each scene could have been played differently to avoid the tragic outcome.

One student at Wallenpaupack suggested a student witnessing the bullying could step up and tell a teacher. The teens acted out-improvised-how that would work. Good idea, they concluded. Another student said the victim should fight back, dump a lunch tray on the bully who did the same to him. “That could just make things worse” was the answer this time.

Richard Pagett, who attends Wallenpaupack Middle School, said he liked the performance, but “that kind of thing doesn't happen much here.” Was he thinking only of the violent end? When queried further, Pagett admitted that yes, he's seen bullying and known victims. “That does happen.”

The Drama Club, under the direction of teacher Alison Hoffmann, scripted the play themselves after meeting with seventh graders and finding out their issues and concerns.

“We take this very seriously,” said Bonnie Witkowski, who played the too-busy-to-listen mother of the victim.

“When we heard about the health fair (Together for Health school program), we thought it was perfect for us and the interactive format,” explained Hoffmann, who has a Masters degree in Educational Theatre. “The students really wanted to do it.” Hoffman concluded the piece by telling the younger students, “We hope you have seen that you can be an instrument for change. You can go to a teacher, a guidance counselor, a parent and get help.”

“I loved the interactive part,” said Cindy Gregorski, the Wallenpaupack Health & Physical Education teacher who introduced the play. “It gets kids thinking about how they can change things, how even a bystander can take action.”

The Together for Health School Program, more than a decade old, traditionally had brought in a professional group to perform for students. This was the first time coordinators worked with local, non-professional actors.

“It was a wonderful experience,” said Donna Decker, RN, community health manager at Wayne Memorial Hospital. “To see teenagers taking such an interest in a social issue involving young people is terrific. The fact that they performed so well and got the audience to respond truly benefited our program and, hopefully, our community. That's what it's all about.”