SNOHOMISH — She’s got a message for mean girls.
Susan Bjorling, of Snohomish, is raising daughters ages 16, 14 and 10. She’s also the secretary at Lake Stevens High School.
Bjorling sees a lot of bullying, and much of it is girl versus girl. She decided to do something about it, first for her family and then for the community.
She donated her time to bring a film to two Snohomish schools earlier this month that carries a message of kindness. October is national bullying prevention month.
Bjorling started looking for a positive message when her daughters started coming home from school complaining.
“They were upset about the way kids were treating each other and especially with the cattiness that goes on between girls,” she said.
Bjorling took her two eldest daughters to a screening of the documentary, “Finding Kind,” in Everett. It features two girls who pack their bags and travel with their mothers in a minivan across America. They interview hundreds of people about the “mean girl” phenomenon along the way.
“The film shows you the dark side of middle school and even elementary and high school girls. But it also gives you hope,” Bjorling said. “It helped my girls remember everyone has a story, and you never know what someone might be going through. You have to be kind.”
The filmmakers, Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, recognized the problem while attending Pepperdine University in 2009. They had both been affected by girl-on-girl bullying and decided to do something about it. They made the documentary film and started a non-profit campaign. Parsekian’s husband, “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul, plugged the cause during his acceptance speech at the 2014 Emmy Awards.
After Bjorling’s girls benefited from the film’s message, she wanted to share it with others. She did some research and discovered the Kind Campaign, the nonprofit behind the documentary. The organization focuses on healing the negative effects of bullying with kindness, through screenings of the film. The filmmakers travel to schools to do assemblies.
Bjorling entered a contest and won a $500 screening of the film. She donated it to Snohomish High School, which featured a showing earlier this month.
Then she lucked out again. She won a $2,500 school assembly with the filmmakers. She donated it to Centennial Middle School. Bjorling said students seemed to benefit from the presentation. They were commenting on it on social media after the assembly.
Now, Bjorling hopes those who saw the film and attended the assembly will carry the message of kindness on.
“Girls can be especially catty and harsh, but a gentle reminder that taking the high road is easier than we think, can work wonders,” Bjorling said. “Be nice. It’s so easy, although some days it is harder than others.”
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.
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