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"Our attitudes affect people's lives."
This was the simple, but meaningful statement Kim Ehman announced to Grade 7 to 12 students from Craik School last Monday.
Ehman debuted her video Unknown Wounds, which is about the affect of bullies on a high school student. Ehman explained how powerful our attitudes are, how our everyday actions can affect someone's life.
"Respect the people around you, realize that everyone is different, but everyone is the same." Ehman said, "Stand up for things you know are right, what feels good in your heart."
Ehman wrote, directed and produced Unknown Wounds, which is the core of an anti bullying presentation made to students over 12 years of age at Craik School.
Unknown Wounds is a tragic story about a high school student who gets picked on at school, accidentally shoots a girl with a gun he finds at home and then commits suicide. The video concludes with funeral scenes for both students.
"Don't get your pleasure from my pain, don't laugh at me" were words from a song written for the video. It gave a powerful message to the students, who were visibly moved by the presentation.
"It was emotional," said Grade 12 student Jocelyn Pihrag, who held back tears during the video presentation. Jenny McAlpine said, "It was really good, awesome."
The high school students said they got the message. They said it made them think about everyday life, and they could relate to things in the video that happen around them everyday, realizing that one person can make a difference in another's life.
Ehman's presentation was a mixture of music, discussion and video. She made the video because she was deeply affected when she watched television newscasts of high school killings at Columbine, Colorado and Taber, Alta., and she decided to do something about. it.
Unknown Wounds is Ehman's second video about bullying. Her first, Seven Scenes is geared towards students form Kindergarten to Grade 5. The scenes were of very realistic incidents that could happen on any given day in the school playground, hallway or in the gymnasium. The students were shown negative situations and given a chance to discuss what they had seen. The same situation was shown again, except it featured a positive outcome and another round of discussion.
Tracey Whitehead, a teacher at Craik School, said that as a teacher it's hard to see everything that happens in the school. She hopes a presentation like this will be helpful, as it was very realistic and meaningful for students.
Community members also attended the presentation. Liz Parks said Unknown Wounds was superb. "Doing this was a very necessary thing," she said, adding Kim did a great job.
Ehman said adults who have seen the video were also affected because it made them think about making changes in their own lives.
"I appreciated her passion as she was creating these presentations." Greg Veillard said. Veillard is a former teacher at Craik and now works as a middle years counselor in the Moose Jaw School Division. He was there to watch students' reactions to the presentations. He liked what he saw, saying it was thought-provoking and the video sent good messages to students.
Gord Taylor, principal of Craik School, thanked Kim for delivering this valuable and important message, reminding everyone, kids and adults, that one person can make a difference.
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