How to make bullying obsolete

Bullying is not a normal part of growing up and can be eliminated in the school environment, according to school psychologist John Dominguez.

Dominguez presents a different way to address the problem of bullying in a program called "A Paradigm Shift: Helping Kids Create an Environment Where Bullying is Obsolete" as part of the Glenbard Parent Series: Navigating Healthy Families.

The program will be presented at noon Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Carol Stream Elementary District 93 Administration Center, 230 Covington Drive, Bloomingdale.

Texting and social media provide unlimited, unsupervised and peer-driven social interactions ripe for bullying and other forms of unkindness. But bullying is not a normal part of growing up; it doesn't build character and it harms the learning environment. Despite a great deal of attention being paid to anti-bullying efforts in the past several years, schools face bullying concerns daily.

Dominguez will present a paradigm shift that compels adults and students to address this problem differently, through a comprehensive focus and emphasis on creating cultures in which bullying and other forms of unkind behavior cannot survive.

For information, visit glenbardgps.org or contact Gilda Ross, Glenbard District 87 student and community projects coordinator, at (630) 942-7668 or gilda_ross@glenbard.org.

This workshop is organized as part of Red Ribbon Week, running Oct. 22-31, as schools work to celebrate and promote positive choices, good character and healthy lifestyles for all.

Two other parenting series presentations are scheduled in October. Glenbard East school psychologist Mariana Proske discusses stress management techniques in Spanish at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the school, 1014 S. Main St., Lombard. Counselors Chris Lubiniecki and Norma Vega-Rodriguez discuss "The College Application Process" with presentations in English and Spanish at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Glenbard South High School, 23W200 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn.