Miss Pennsylvania Visits Leary Elementary

2010 Miss Pennsylvania Courtney Thomas spoke to students at Alta S. Leary Elementary School in Warminster on Monday about the consequences of bullying and peer pressure as part of the school’s “No place for hate” designation.

Thomas, 22, of Sigel, came to the 2 p.m. assembly to talk to the students because of her “Don’t COPP Out” platform during the Miss America Pageant. The acronym COPP stands for consequences of peer pressure.

“When I was in junior high, I was bullied very severely,” Thomas said.

While attending a football game when Thomas was 14, the people who were bullying her peer pressured her to get into a car with them and leave the game, Thomas told the students on Monday.

“I knew I wasn’t supposed to do that” Thomas said, “I knew my parents wouldn’t let me do that, but I didn’t want to upset the people who were bullying me so I went.”

Once Thomas got into the car she realized that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

The driver then lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree at 85 mph.

Thomas suffered two broken arms, two broken legs, and was confined to a wheelchair for three months.

“It changed my life significantly, all because I made this little decision to give in to peer pressure,” Thomas said.

Thomas has been touring the state for the past year and has spoken to more than 25,000 students about the consequences of peer pressure.

Thomas addressed the children by asking multiple choice questions about what to do if they see someone being bullied, as well as playing the songs Ragtime Annie and the Orange Blossom Special on her violin, the latter the song of choice during the talent portion of the 2010 Miss America Pageant.

 Alta S. Leary Elementary School became a designated “No Place for Hate” by the Anti-Defamation League in 2006 and every year since then. Acting Principal Michael Donnelly said that “You can see the difference from the moment you walk through the door.”

Posters advertising the anti-bullying campaign are littered through the halls and the words trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship are painted on the walls of the gymnasium.

In addition to these visual methods, Donnelly said that the teachers will also infuse those same morals into their daily lesson plans.

Some fifth grade students have been trained by the school’s Guidance Counselor Leanne Hibbs, to be peer mediators that help to work out problems between other students in a one-on-one, student-to-student environment.

Donnelly stressed the importance for the campaign because of this fall's transfer of students and staff to Willow Dale Elementary School, which also received the “No Place for Hate” designation earlier this year.

Thomas’ speaking at Leary was arranged mostly by chance. First grade teacher Jennifer Davis’ husband prints flyers for the Miss Philadelphia Pageant, where Mr. and Mrs. Davis sat at the same table as Thomas, who was at the function as the newly appointed Miss Pennsylvania.

Once Davis heard of Thomas’ stance on peer pressure, she engaged Thomas in conversation about possibly speaking at Leary, to which Thomas was more than happy to oblige. 

Thomas said that the best way to deal with a bully is to “Kill them with kindness and confidence.”