Announcer (00:01): Highlighting the amazing stories from inside the North Clackamas School District. This is the Proud To Be NCSD podcast, hosted by longtime principal and current community relations director, Curtis Long.

Curtis Long (00:14): It's just after noon in the Scouters Mountain Elementary cafeteria, and after these fully fed fifth graders have nibbled their last nugget or chewed their last chip, it's time to tidy up their tables, turn in their trays, and head outside for what many consider their favorite part of the day. Recess. A time for elementary students of all ages to catch up with classmates. Slip down the slides or bounce around the basketball.

Curtis Long (00:44): That's where you'll find 10-year-old Makiah Butler. A fun loving fifth grader who'd always been fast to make friends since starting his kindergarten year as a Scouts Mountain Coyote. But just as elementary school can bring kids, their first favorite teacher or their first best friend, Makiah's fifth grade year started with him experiencing a not so pleasant first for him.

Makiah B. (01:04): People started calling me Ken because since I was wearing a pink cowboy hat Ken in the Barbie movie wore pink. So I, they calling me Ken, it made me feel sad, mad, and angry.

Curtis Long (01:15): Made fun of on the playground for wearing a new hat that he proudly brought home from summer camp.

Makiah B. (01:19): It was a pink cowboy hat that got tro pink bible camp that my friend gave me this bandana a long time ago that is pink so I could put it on my cowboy hat. So it was pretty much his pink with a pink bandana on it.

Curtis Long (01:32): At first, Makiah felt like he never wanted to set foot on the playground again,

Makiah B. (01:36): Not really, but I had to go back out to recess the next day. I felt like a lot of eyes were on me, but I don't know if it's just that I felt like that or if it was like that.

Curtis Long (01:47): But then this compassionate kid did something that showed a maturity way beyond his fifth grade years, not letting any playground put downs dampen his spirit. Makiah came to his teacher, along with his school's assistant principal and counselor with an idea. What if he could start an award that celebrated students for standing up to teasing or bullying behavior just as three faithful friends did for him on that memorable day on the playground.

Makiah B. (02:13): Lincoln and Owen and Oscar, they're very important to me because that they're always there for when I feel sad and mad, and they're always there to help me through hard and easy times, and that they always help me even when it was hard for them to help.

Curtis Long (02:28): And thanks to his motivational mindset, Makiah created the first ever Upstander awards at Scouters Mountain Elementary and handed them out during a recent schoolwide assembly.

Makiah B. (02:38): Upstander means if they're bullying and you see it, you'll say stop assertively and help them get help. So it doesn't keep happening.

Curtis Long (02:46): Today on this special edition of The Proud To Be NCSD podcast, meet this fabulous fifth grader who took teasing to task and taught an entire school the difference between how you can bring everyone down as a bullying bystander, or how everyone wins when you deflect discouraging words and become an uplifting upstander,

Makiah B. (03:05): I think everybody should feel welcome and that they're the same as at their house.

Curtis Long (03:10): And joining us now on the podcast is the one, the only bully blocker of Scouters Mountain. It's fifth grader, Makiah Butler. Thanks so much for joining us Makiah.

Makiah B. (03:19): Thank you for having me.

Curtis Long (03:20): Makiah. When did you first start going to Scouters Mountain Elementary?

Makiah B. (03:23): I first started going to Scouters Mountain six years ago in kindergarten. In

Curtis Long (03:27): Kindergarten. You started as a kindergartner. Can you believe that you're in fifth grade now? No. And how old are you?

Makiah B. (03:32): I'm 10 years old.

Curtis Long (03:33): 10 years old. What do you like most about going to Scouters Mountain?

Makiah B. (03:36): That they don't only want you to learn, they want you to have fun and not just have it to be boring. They want you to enjoy your time.

Curtis Long (03:44): So they make learning fun here at Scouters? Yes. Alright. Let's get into your story. Makiah, we summarized it a little bit at the beginning. You went out to recess one day early in the school year, and what happened?

Makiah B. (03:53): So I went outside with my pink hat. A few kids were calling me Ken and bullying me because that Ken in the Barbie movie wore pink.

Curtis Long (04:02): How did that make you feel when they called you Ken?

Makiah B. (04:04): It did not make me feel well. It hurt my feelings, made me mad and sad. But I'm thankful for my three friends who stood up for me, Oscar and Nolan and Lincoln, because they said, stop assertively and help me through hard times. Okay.

Curtis Long (04:19): So after that recess, what happened after that recess? So you had been made fun of at recess, you came back in off the playground, and then what happened?

Makiah B. (04:26): I told a recess teacher, my teacher and the counselor, and they all helped me through the struggles that I was having. And then we all had to talk with the kids, with the vice principal, the counselor, and my friend Oscar, because he's the one who helped me the most.

Curtis Long (04:43): The school counselor as well, Mrs. Winfrey. Right. Was she a big help? Yes. Well, let's bring Mrs. Winfrey in right now. Here she is, right here. Mrs. Winfrey. How proud of Makiah are you for handling this problem the way he did?

Jessica Winfrey (04:54): It's hard for me to think of exactly just how proud I am because the right words just don't really come to me very quickly other than I'm so proud. <laugh>. Yeah. You know, I am so proud. I don't know how you couldn't be. It takes a very special individual to think outside of themselves. And that's the thing that Makiah, I think is so inspired by with this, is that he doesn't want this to happen to anyone else. So it's, it's not that there's pride, that's why I'm struggling to even mm-Hmm. <affirmative> explain how proud I am. It's bigger than him. It's bigger than just being proud of him. It's pride of the message that is being sent overall.

Curtis Long (05:29): Now, people listening to this may think that these kind of incidents maybe aren't so common at elementary school, but at elementary school and Makiah, you can attest to this. There is a lot of teasing and bullying and sometimes it's playful and sometimes it's not. Right. Yes. Yeah, sometimes it is. And Mrs. Winfrey, as an elementary school counselor, how often do you address incidents of teasing or bullying behavior at the elementary level?

Jessica Winfrey (05:49): Fortunately at Scouters Mountain we don't have a lot of bullying. Okay. Teasing I think is a pretty common occurrence. It's part of of the growing pains of young childhood. So fortunately it's not like this is something that's going to be handed out all the time, the upstander award. But certainly when someone is witnessing bullying, we wanna encourage them to actually do something about it. 'cause I think so often kids don't, and I think

Curtis Long (06:14): We should probably distinguish for our listeners there is a difference. Right. Makiah, you know this too, from being at Scouters between teasing and bullying. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. What's the difference between teasing and bullying for maybe some of our listeners who don't know.

Makiah B. (06:24): So I think teasing is more like words that are like, can be mean, but most of the time are for playfulness. But like bullying is something that happens consistently and that is like not for teasing, it's for being mean.

Curtis Long (06:39): And usually a lot of times bullying will happen over and over again. Teasing. Sometimes they'll do one time and if you ask them to stop, they'll stop. But if they don't stop and it happens over and over, it becomes bullying.

Makiah B. (06:48): Right. Yeah.

Curtis Long (06:49): It becomes bullying. And I know Mrs. Winfrey, you teach lessons about that. Tell us about what you do at the elementary level to make sure kids know that difference and how to handle those kind of situations.

Jessica Winfrey (06:58): Yeah. We're fortunate in North Clackamas school district with having the Second Step bullying prevention curriculum. And so for third, fourth, and fifth graders, we teach them the three Rs with reporting, recognizing and refusing bullying. And so it's, it's incredible that we just completed those bullying prevention lessons in the fall and that this incident took place from Makiah, but he was able to report it with some support from his friends who were bystanders to the situation and they reported it, refused the behavior and did everything that they were taught. So very proud.

Curtis Long (07:34): Now, what was your reaction when Makiah came to you with this problem?

Jessica Winfrey (07:37): Well, it actually initially addressed it with his classroom teacher. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And the teacher was also a very good advocate in reaching out to our principal and assistant principal and me. And there was a lot of recovery around it. Makiah also got some help from another, another teacher. And so then I was brought in to talk with Makiah and process through it. And it was before he came up with this idea, but when as we were talking through it, like I said, he was just, it was really clear that he just, he felt really hurt by it. But he is like, I don't want this to happen to other people. And it was just, that was the part that really continues to stand out to me.

Curtis Long (08:13): And Makiah, is that what bothered you more? Not so much that they were making fun of you, but you didn't want anyone else to feel the way that you felt?

Makiah B. (08:19): Yes.

Curtis Long (08:20): What makes you think that way?

Makiah B. (08:21): I know that if I feel that way, that multiple other people feel that way too. Because I know I'm not just gonna be the only one having that feeling. So I just realized that if I don't want be feel that way, I don't think other people will want feel that way.

Curtis Long (08:37): Do you think you've made a difference here at Scouters Mountain with what you've done?

Makiah B. (08:40): I think so.

Curtis Long (08:42): I think you have too. Mrs. Winfrey, have you ever had a student initiate an award program to kind of help help you with your job?

Jessica Winfrey (08:48): No, I haven't. <laugh>. Lots of kids have lots of ideas, but nothing quite like this. This is is definitely one of a kind.

Curtis Long (08:56): Okay. So we have the upstander program that was started by Makiah. Now you hand out the Upstander awards. Do you know if any other people are going to receive an upstander award coming up?

Makiah B. (09:06): I don't know. You'd have to ask Mrs. Winfrey.

Jessica Winfrey (09:08): <laugh>. You know, I haven't received any reports of bullying since we began this, but you're right Mr. Long in that that's when we're going to recognize individuals who are upstanders is at the assemblies and I don't think we have one.

Curtis Long (09:22): So you introduced the Upstander program at an assembly? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And kids know that they can nominate people who have been upstanders. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And Mrs. Winfrey's saying that you guys haven't had any reported cases of bullying at your school since? No. Makiah. How's that make you feel?

Makiah B. (09:36): It makes me feel great.

Curtis Long (09:37): So you went through all this effort to make an award, but I guess the biggest reward is maybe you don't have to use it.

Jessica Winfrey (09:43): <laugh>? Yes. <laugh>. That's a silver lining. Yeah.

Curtis Long (09:46): That's pretty cool that no one has to use that. Yeah.

Makiah B. (09:49): Yeah.

Curtis Long (09:49): How appreciative are you of Mrs. Winfrey to be able to have a counselor, someone that you can come to at school to help you with your problems?

Makiah B. (09:56): I'm very thankful.

Jessica Winfrey (09:57): <laugh>? Well, I am appreciative and thankful for students like you, Makiah.

Makiah B. (10:01): Thank you. And they all said they're sorry and that I actually kind of felt bad for two of them because they only did because they got bullied and they thought if they did it that maybe they won't get bored anymore.

Curtis Long (10:12): So you talked with vice principal, you talked with your counselor, you talked with your teacher and you guys came up with a new program, or maybe it was just you and your mom came up with a new program. Tell us about that program that you created.

Makiah B. (10:23): So after that, me and my mom, me and her came up with the idea that we should reward them and that maybe we should reward everybody who upand bullying. So we came up with an idea to make these bracelets that are green and black that says see something, say something. SME for Scouters Mountain Elementary. So we'll give at uh, assembly if someone stood up freely, the kid can give the people who stood up for them a reward that has a certificate and a bracelet that they can wear around Scouters Mountain so they know that you are a helper of who if you need help.

Curtis Long (11:01): And we'll show the certificates in the description of this podcast. Did you design those yourself?

Makiah B. (11:06): Um, no. Actually the school designed them, but me and my mom just designed the bracelets.

Curtis Long (11:10): So you designed the bracelets and have you been handing out the bracelets to other kids at school?

Makiah B. (11:14): Not yet because I feel like not many people have been bullied since and I'm glad for that. And if they ever do our hope, if when they come to get help that the counselors, whoever helps them, comes up with the idea to reward them at the assembly.

Curtis Long (11:29): So do you think that'll happen at an upcoming assembly? Do you, do you get to hand out the Upstander awards?

Makiah B. (11:34): If they want to give the Upstander award to the person who up stood them or if they want to give it or if their teacher wants to do it. But it's pretty much whoever was the one getting bullied and the person who was upstanding.

Curtis Long (11:47): So how does it make you feel that you took a problem that some kids really have a hard time with? And I'm sure you probably had a hard time with it too. It's no fun to be getting made fun of or teased or bullied. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And you did something about it? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. How's that make you feel?

Makiah B. (11:59): It makes me feel strong and not just a normal kid. It makes me feel that everybody's special and that they all have something that they can work with

Curtis Long (12:08): And it takes a special student to take a negative personal experience on the playground and turn it into a positive that now benefits the entire school yet that's exactly what Makiah's done. So far, you've heard how this creative Coyote's upstander program is motivating classmates to take down teasing. I think

Scouters Student (12:26): It's pretty cool because you get to almost like come home and show your parents that you were an upstander and you helped stop bullying

Curtis Long (12:34): Still to come hear more from kids inspired by Makiah's movement.

Scouters Student (12:38): I don't really think it's nice to tease people. Maybe the people who are teasing him are just having some issues in their life maybe.

Curtis Long (12:47): And how Makiah hopes his message spreads to other schools.

Makiah B. (12:50): You can help kids or you can be hurtful to kids in that it doesn't always turn out the best when you hurt kids. But you might not get rewarded when you're not being the best. But you always feel good after.

Curtis Long (13:02): And you'll feel good listening to more from the Mind of Makiah. The second half of the Proud To Be NCSD podcast is up next right after this.

Commercial Announcer (13:11): Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? The North Clackamas School district is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire before and after school caretakers, custodians, and bus drivers in North Clackamas. We promise it won't take you long to learn why our employees say they're proud to be in NCSD Apply today on the North Clackamas School District website or call 5 0 3 3 5 3 6,000. That's 5 0 3 3 5 3 6,000. So

Curtis Long (14:05): Everyone is special in their own way. They all have something that they can provide. Who have you handed out the Upstander Award to so far?

Makiah B. (14:12): I've gave it to my friend Oscar Nolan and Lincoln at the last assembly.

Curtis Long (14:18): You got to go up in front of the whole school and give it to 'em at the assembly? Yes. That was very nice. Mr. Potter, the principal let you do that. You went up front. Were you nervous going up in front of the school?

Makiah B. (14:26): Uh, yes because I also made a speech because I was telling them about what happened and I also gave one to my teacher for being there for me.

Curtis Long (14:34): So your teacher, fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Wiebke, she got an Upstander Award too?

Makiah B. (14:38): Yes for being there for me.

Curtis Long (14:40): So did she have to come up in the front and accept her award? Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. So you gave a speech at the assembly in front of the whole school? There's like 500 kids at this school. Were you nervous to make a speech in front of everyone?

Makiah B. (14:49): I was very nervous.

Curtis Long (14:50): How did it go?

Makiah B. (14:51): It went great.

Curtis Long (14:52): So tell me a little bit, if you can remember, what did you say in your speech?

Makiah B. (14:56): I said that I was bullied and I told them why and I said that I would like to thank Nolan and Oscar and Lincoln for being there for me and being upstander to bullying and that they helped me through hard times. So I'd like to give them this upstanding award.

Curtis Long (15:12): Nolan and Oscar and Lincoln. We brought them all here today. So Nolan, Oscar, and Lincoln. Tell us about from your perspective, what happened that day? What did you see?

Lincoln (15:21): So what I was seeing was I saw Makiah almost like getting chased and stuff like that. And they kept making fun of his um, pink hat. They said some really bad stuff and then Makiah went away to go sit down and we, me, Nolan and Oscar all came over to check on him and see if he's okay. He was like in the middle. Like he wasn't feeling the absolute best? No, but wasn't like, but he wasn't like crying really. So then we told the people to stop calling him names, but they didn't. So we went over to a teacher and told the teacher that they were doing some bad stuff and we told all the names and Okay,

Curtis Long (16:00): That's Lincoln who told that part of the story. So Oscar or Nolan, do you have anything to add?

Nolan (16:05): Lincoln said it all. <laugh> <laugh>

Curtis Long (16:07): Lincoln summarized the whole thing, right? Yeah. Yeah. But what's it like to be out on the playground and see one of your good friends being teased like that?

Oscar (16:14): Well, honestly, I don't really think it's nice to tease people. Maybe the people are teasing him or just like having some issues in their life maybe.

Curtis Long (16:26): And that's what I think is really cool. About all four of you that you've joined us now is that you guys have realized sometimes people tease not because they wanna make the other person feel bad, maybe they don't feel good about something that's going on in their own life, huh? Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Yeah. And you guys have learned that. So when you saw Makiah being teased, you guys helped get that to stop. Yeah. And then Makiah had this idea for the Upstander award. What do you think of this upstander award?

Lincoln (16:49): I think it's pretty cool because you get to almost like come home and show your parents that you were an upstander and you, um, helped stop bullying.

Curtis Long (16:58): Okay. Now I hear that there were three kids who were the first ever recipients of the Upstander Awards here at Scouters Mountain. Who were those kids?

Lincoln (17:06): It was me, Oscar, and Nolan. All right. Who's me? Yeah.

Curtis Long (17:11): Who's me? You were too and you? Yeah. Let's let them, let's let the other people have the mic too. Lincoln is hogging the microphone here. <laugh>. So Oscar, let's start with you. How did it make you feel to be recognized in front of the whole school as being an upstate?

Oscar (17:22): It made me feel good and uh, it just made me feel really proud of myself. But I'm just really happy that happened and we stopped and some guys feeling better.

Curtis Long (17:31): And Nolan, how about for you to be recognized in front of the whole school?

Nolan (17:33): I think I feel proud of myself for helping one of my friends.

Curtis Long (17:37): Yeah. And did you guys know that you were going to get those awards at the assembly? No. Oh, so it was a total surprise. Makiah. You didn't tell 'em?

Makiah B. (17:44): Well I told Nolan, Oscar and Lincoln like that day right before? Yeah, before because I didn't want them to just be like surprised that they're getting called up in front of the stage <laugh>. I think I just forgot that.

Curtis Long (17:55): And you forgot that you had been told. So you were very, very surprised. Now, is it true Makiah had to make a speech in front of the whole school? Yes.

Makiah B. (18:01): Yeah.

Curtis Long (18:02): Do you guys think you could have done that?

Oscar (18:03): No. No. I, I would've been terrified saying how,

Curtis Long (18:07): How'd Mackay do

Nolan (18:08): Good. Yeah, especially 'cause he memorized the Miss Wiebke part too.

Curtis Long (18:12): Oh, he memorized it. So you gave an Upstander Award to these three kids. So Nolan and Oscar and Lincoln and to Mrs. Wiebke. Is there anyone else who's gotten an Upstander Award?

Makiah B. (18:22): Um, not yet.

Curtis Long (18:23): Not yet. But there could be at the next assembly on. Yeah. Okay. I wanna ask all of you, what's it like to go to a school where sometimes people get teased 'cause that happens at every school, but a school that really, and it could be a kid or an adult, there's always someone there to help you with that. What's that like to be at a school? How's that make you feel?

Lincoln (18:39): It makes me feel safe 'cause that there's trusted adults that we can tell them basically anything. I feel like he would be the best at answering this means he actually experienced it. Yeah.

Curtis Long (18:49): Lincoln, you're trying to steal my job as the host of this podcast, but let's turn to the, yeah. Makiah. How does it make you feel to go to a school where so many people care about each other?

Makiah B. (18:58): It makes me feel that you're not just like a normal kid. It makes you feel that you can be whoever you put your mind to. You can help kids or you can be hurtful to kids. And that it doesn't always turn out the best when you hurt kids. But you might not get rewarded when you're not being the best, but you always feel good after.

Curtis Long (19:16): That's a great way to put it. Now finally does some things up. How's it make you feel to have these three kids as your friends and what they did for you?

Makiah B. (19:23): It makes me feel great and lucky.

Curtis Long (19:25): Lucky to have friends like this. Yes. Do they ever drive you crazy?

Makiah B. (19:28): Sometimes.

Curtis Long (19:29): Yeah, that's what I thought. Thanks so much for visiting with us and thanks for being a part of such a great story. What if some other schools want to make an upstander program of their own? Would you be able to help 'em?

Makiah B. (19:38): Yeah, I think that'd be great.

Curtis Long (19:40): So what have you, if you, as you look back on this, have there been any more problems on the playground or other people making fun or teasing other people?

Makiah B. (19:47): Uh, no.

Curtis Long (19:48): So as you look back on the whole experience, what do you think about when you think back to where you were on that one recess where you didn't feel very good 'cause people were making fun of you and how things are going in fifth grade now?

Makiah B. (19:57): Back then it wasn't the best, but now I think it's uh, been a great year so far. And then I think this year's been the best year of Scouters Mountain this year.

Curtis Long (20:08): This your best year. Yes. Even though that happened to you at the beginning of the year, you've turned it into your best year so far at Scouters Mountain. Yes. And this is your last year at Scouters Mountain, right? Are you a little nervous to go to middle school next year?

Makiah B. (20:17): A little bit.

Curtis Long (20:18): I bet the middle school will love to have you next year for sure. So do you have any advice, let's say there's a kid listening to this who maybe doesn't go to Scout's Mountain, maybe goes to a different school and has experienced people making fun of him or her, or teasing him or her, what advice would you have for them?

Makiah B. (20:34): Go to a trusted adult that you know, and that if it's your parent or someone at school that they can help you through this and help you get help.

Curtis Long (20:43): You had your mom help you, right? Yes. What, how was that conversation at home? Did you go home to mom and explain what happened and how did she help you?

Makiah B. (20:51): She helped me by saying that she was proud of me for not giving up and not like using violence or like just running away. She was proud of me for picking friends who helped me stand up to bullying.

Curtis Long (21:02): Well the purpose of the Proud To Be NCSD podcast is to give our listeners an inside look at some of the hometown heroes we have right here in our school district. Sometimes those wonderful stories come from adults and sometimes, like today they come from some of our youngest students. Makiah, you are officially one of the youngest guests we've ever had on this podcast, and we're so proud of the way that you took a negative situation that happened to you at school and turned it into a positive that now benefits the entire school. And maybe other schools nearby will want to use your upstander program. Would you be willing to show them how it works? Yes. Makiah Butler, a fabulous fifth grader at Scatters Mountain Elementary School, just as the title of this podcast says, you truly make us proud to be NCSD. Thanks so much for joining us today.

Makiah B. (21:43): Thank you for having me.

Curtis Long (21:45): Should we get you back up to class?

Makiah B. (21:46): Sure.

Curtis Long (21:48): Thanks for listening to The Proud To Be NCSD podcast. In North Clackamas. We know that education is a community effort and we're so thankful that you and your family are part of our community. Until next time, remember, there are always great things to see wherever you go in NCSD.