Class 7a think about bullying at school ...

Katrina and the Beauties: Bullying is everywhere – why?

The story in Unit 2 of our Englishbook is about Katrina McFadden and ‘the Beauties’. ‘The Beauties’ are a trendy girl group who bully Katrina because of her style, because she isn’t so ‘trendy’. They call her ‘fishface’ and they don’t like her ponytail. Often she talks to her friend Latisha about this problem.
One day a film crew choose Katrina for an interview, because she has got a special life: every Monday she must go by ferry to get to her grammar school on Mainland, because she lives on Hoy, an island of Scotland in the north sea, and her father is a fisherman. The film crew interviews Katrina about her life away from home and film her in the sceneries of Hoy.
‘The Beauties’ are jealous on Katrina, so they tease her because of her style and offer her to help ironically with shopping, but she doesn’t want this.
On a gig Katrina plays the fiddle with her dad. At a break Alison, one of ‘the Beauties’ pays her a compliment. She says Katrina plays the fiddle well. And Alison wears her hair in a ponytail, too. So it seems that now she likes Katrina.

Katrina ignores the bullying of ‘the Beauties’, rejects their help
and she talks with her friend Latisha about her problem. Latisha says: “Don’t
let them upset you. If they called me names, I’d just laugh!” That is the solution
of her problem!

Bullying at our school
In our school there is bullying, too, because some people think they are better than other, use bad words to tease or bully them and so redline them, too. It’s really terrible. Luckily there is no violence at our school.

What can we do against bullying?
The SMV could make school meetings about bullying. They could explain how terrible bullying is. Maybe the pupils have got ideas; they can write these on posters and give them to the SMV. Maybe some people who were teased could have the heart to tell the pupils something about bullying and how they solve their problems. The SMV could show the teachers how they can help pupils. And they could organise consulting stations where all the kids can go. The consulting teacher can organise meetings where they can solve the problems of the pupils.
The school can organise trips where pupils meet the other classmates in person. They can learn how to make friends and how they can avoid bullying. The teachers shall talk with the whole class. In our class, the 7a, this idea helped. In every class you should make suggestion boxes where everyone can write letters about their problems. Every month the class teacher should make a lesson where you solve all the problems. If you watch someone bullying you can talk with the children and their parents. Maybe you can ask for a parent-teacher meeting.


Max Netzer and Josua Weigand, 7a

False friends, ´The Beauties´, come with fame

Katrina’s life:

Our story is all about Katrina. She lives with her family on Hoy, a small island in the north of
Scotland and goes to school in Kirkwall. Every Monday morning, she has to take the ferry
and the bus to school. In her class is a group of trendy girls, she calls them ´The Beauties´,
which always call her silly names like “Fishface”, only because her dad works on a salmon
farm and she always has her hair in ponytail. At the weekends she plays the fiddle with her
dad in ceilidhs. One Monday, a film crew comes to her school to interview some students for
a documentary. When Katrina gives them an interview, the film crew likes Katrina and her
live. A few days later, the head teacher makes a surprising announcement: “Katrina is
becoming a film star.”
Katrina is very happy about it and in next to no time, something strange happens. 'The
Beauties' suddenly stand before her and they ask: “Do you like to go shopping with us? We
know a good hairdresser.” But Katrina becomes very angry, that they are suddenly so
friendly and before they weren’t. So she screams: “The film crew choose me, like I am,” and
Katrina leaves. Some days later the film crew and Katrina make a very nice documentary
about her life and at the end of this documentary they film Katrina and her dad at the ceilidh
with their fiddles. During a short break, Alison, one of 'The Beauties' comes and tells Katrina
that she is a very good fiddle player. Katrina is very happy about this. And when Alison
leaves, Katrina sees that Alison has her hair in a ponytail.
Now Katrina is not sure: Is Alison a true friend?
What do you think about Alison?

Mobbing in our class and SVZ:

At the moment in our class there is a lot of mobbing. We think it is not good when people are
sad, because other people say silly things about them. You can solve your problems, when
you ignore the silly things.
You can talk with your family or your friends about your problems and they can help you to
solve them.
You can mail at the SVZ team, when somebody insults you.
You might go to the head teacher and tell him your problems with your classmate and then
the head teacher can speak with the bully and his parents.
You can go to the bully and talk with about the problems that you have with him and he had
with you.
In SVZ you can also send a mail to the bully and make him understand that he should stop
the mobbing.

Lisa Mutz and Thea Dieing, 7a

Orkney Star

The story Orkney Star is about a girl called Katrina McFadden. Katrina goes to Kirkwall Grammar School. The Scottish Television makes a documentary called “Going to school in Scotland” at KGS. And they choose Katrina from S3 to be a star. Katrina’s classmates are really excited about the fact that Katrina would be a star soon. Even Alison, Fiona and Linda, who know as the “Beauties”, congratulate her. Then they offer Katrina their help. They want to go shopping with her. They told Katrina that she should go to a hairdresser and buy new clothes to look good. They think she can’t be the star with her ponytail. Katrina is upset about that and tells them that the people from the Scottish Television choses her the way she is. The “Beauties” are shocked and go away. The day the film crew comes, Katrina is very excited and bit nervous. She doesn’t know why they chose her. The head teacher introduces her to the director’s assistant, Miss Burns. Miss Burns tells Katrina to call her Sheena. Katrina is happy, because Sheena is wearing her jeans in her big green willies and a green anorak. And she has a ponytail. Sheena and Katrina go to the director. His name is Bill. Bill tells Katrina about the plans for the film. At first they want to make an interview. Before they start, Katrina gets to know Fred, the electrician, Emma, the sound assistant and Alistair, the cameraman. The interview goes well, but then Bill asks Katrina whether she likes living away from home. Katrina feels sorry, because she has said that she prefers to live at home than living in a hostel. But Bill tells her not to worry. Then they film Katrina during the break. On Friday they take the ferry to Hoy and film her in the fields, in the island shop in Lyness, at home at breakfast and in her room while she chatts with Latisha and Asif. And they film her on the salmon farm. They even film her with the Old Man of Hoy. To get to him they fly by helicopter. On Saturday is film crews’ last job. They filmed Katrina and her father with her fiddles at the ceilidh. In her break Katrina goes outside. Alison is there, too. She tells Katrina that she plays the fiddle very well. Then she goes back to her uncle. Katrina notices that Alisan is wearing her hair in a ponytail and smiles.

Problems in our class
Our class is always too restless. We can’t listen to the teacher, because we are talking all the time. The girls and sometimes the boys are uptight. Some of us spread rumours. That isn’t very good. Is it okay to exclude somebody, because at person has a different opinion or if he doesn’t wear trendy clothes? I say: No!! And we talk too much. All in all, I think that everyone should be careful what he says to whom.
Bullying in the internet
I think we all know that bullying is a big issue for some young people. Some teenagers are bullied because of their name, their look or their character. When you look different, when you dress differently or when you just think differently than the group, you don’t belong to them. But is it okay to bully somebody just because this person has a strange name or doesn`t wear brand clothing? That isn`t okay. My opinion is that there is no reason for bullying! I think that those people, who turn other peoples lives into hell by bullying, have a problem themselves. Probably they are jealous. In the internet there is bullying, too. This is cyber mobbing. I think that each of us can help to prevent bullying. This can be quite difficult. But this is the right thing. For example in svz you can ignore them or you can talk about it with someone.

Willi Amberg, Tom Großmann and Lorenz Schmidl, 7a