Stopping 'Mean Girls' in their Tracks

ROCKFORD - It's a new school day at Flinn Middle School in Rockford and the fight against bullying is on.

"Bullying is not a good thing, and you should stop doing it," said 6^th grader Madison Beck.

Beck is a 6th grader at Flinn Middle School, and says she's excited about the new class.

"We get to talk about bullying and everything," said Beck.  "Because I've been having trouble with bullying."

She's part of a new program called a-MAZE, a class just for girls.

"I think it's fun that we're all together, all the girls are together," said 6^th grader at Flinn Middle School Dana Sinsox.

a-MAZE is a new anti-bullying class that all 6th grade girls at Flinn Middle School and Marshall Middle School are taking this year.

"Teach them to pull each other up and not pull each other down," said a-MAZE teacher and coordinator Brook Bloomquist.

The program is offered through the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.  It helps girls learn about good decision making and how to have and maintain healthy relationships, and not degrade one another.

"Stop those behaviors and try to prevent those behaviors," said Bloomquist.

Skills Bloomquist says provides girls with a solid foundation as they go through developmental changes while entering a new school setting.

The program was piloted at West Middle School last year and had a 72-percent decrease in negative and disrespectful behavior.

"They were proud to be part of something," said Bloomquist.  "To sort of feel like they were all in it together."

But the success of the program really hinges on whether or not these girls will work together, and that's why Bloomquist encourages them to lead the way.

"I want to keep it girl led, I want them to make their choices and their decisions on how they want to see this go," said Bloomquist.

The girls currently in the class at Flinn Middle School are excited to be in the class, and can't wait for it to get going.

"I hope that it brings us closer together," said Sinsox.

There is also a "Take Aim" portion of the class, where girls in the program will participate in a community service project.

All girls who participate in the program will be registered as Girl Scouts and can take advantage of other community programming offered through the Girl Scouts Organization.