The Tennessean
3:52 AM, Jan. 15, 2011
While they might sometimes play tough on the ice, the Nashville Predators will premiere a public service announcement at their game tonight denouncing bullying in schools.
"Through junior high, I was one of those people getting bullied. ... I was a smaller kid in the class," said Predator center Colin Wilson, who appears in the announcement. "It didn't really allow me to be as happy as I should have been."
The video will help launch a bullying prevention campaign involving the Predators, the Nashville Film Institute and STARS Nashville, which stands for Students Taking a Right Stand. STARS will premier its announcement Jan. 24, the first day of National No Name-Calling Week, on its YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/starsnashville.
"Our underlying theme for this campaign is there is help. There is hope. There are solutions," said Rodger Dinwiddie, STARS CEO. "National studies have consistently shown that a community uniting against a prevalent issue like bullying is critical to systemic change."
STARS helps Middle Tennessee schools tackle issues that threaten the emotional, psychological and academic well-being of students. A rash of bullying-related suicides across the country last year, with much of the persecution done through social media networks and other technology, brought the subject to the forefront.
"When I was a kid, it was the guy on the playground stealing your money. There was no cyberbullying," Predator right wing Wade Belak said. "I have two young girls. ... You just want to see your kids being treated nicely."
