Ankeny Middle Schooler Tackles Bullying in Prize-Winning Video

Teens and pre-teens in cases across the country have taken their own lives to escape the torment of bullies online and at school.

An Ankeny girl who said she's been targeted by bullies created a prize-winning video to speak out on the problem.

“Some people honestly think bullying doesn’t exist, that people are weak and are just complaining,” said Natalie Stewart of Ankeny. “I wanted to show that it does exist and bullying does happen.”

More than 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying.

Missing school isn't the worst result of bullying. On Sept. 18, Jamey Rodemeyer, a student at a Buffalo, N.Y., high school, took his own life after being bullied because of his sexuality.

And Clarice Johnson, the mother of 10-year-old LaNae Ferguson of Warren, Ohio, claims harrassment from peers is the reason her child attempted to take her own life.

Ankeny Girls Speaks from Experience

Natalie, an eighth-grader at Ankeny’s , is taking a stand against bullies in a big way and was recently rewarded for her efforts. She recently won second place in singer Dani Shay’s “Superheroes Video Challenge”, a contest on the popular video-sharing site YouTube.

The subject of her video hits close to home for Stewart.

“I can personally relate to being bullied,” she said. Natalie said she gets bullied simply for being herself, although neither she nor her mother, Beth, wanted to go into detail about the problem.

Natalie is not alone. Roughly one in three middle and high school students report being bullied, according to an article published by USA Today. Cyberbullying, or online bullying, also is gaining prevalence. About 43 percent of students report being bullied online, reports Stomp Out Bullying, a national anti-bullying and cyberbullying program for kids and young adults.

Natalie has always been a fan of Shay, a singer who appeared on the television show, “America’s Got Talent.” Although she didn’t win the competition, the singer frequently uploads her music directly to YouTube.

“She’s really talented,” Natalie said. “She doesn’t just sing popular songs — she sings songs with meaning, and that’s awesome.”

Shay announced word of the Superheroes video contest to her fans via YouTube. There were not many requirements, Natalie said. Fans simply had to use Shay’s song, “Superheroes,” in the video.

“We had lots of room to be creative,” Natalie said.

Creative Video Has a Message

Beth Stewart, Natalie’s mother, said she is used to her daughter taking on such projects. This month, Beth said, her daughter is writing a novel.

Beth thought bullying was a good topic, too.

“It’s such a huge issue that seems like no one is attacking,” Beth said. “Schools have to deal with it every day and it’s such a big issue it doesn’t seem like it’s getting better.”

Beth said Shay is a good role model for young people.

“She’s creative and she stands up for her causes,” Beth said. “I would love for her to come to Natalie’s school some day.”

The video shows a typical day for Natalie, peppered with obstacles she has to overcome. In one scene, it shows a classmate taping a sign to Natalie's backpack that says, "Kick Me!"

Natalie also makes admissions in her video. Words splay across the images in which she said she is bullied "simply for being herself."

Almost an entire month was spent working on the video. It was filmed at Northview and Natalie even created the animated scenes in the video herself.

More Important Than A Prize

As her prize, Natalie gets to select a song for Shay to cover on YouTube. Her first choice, Natalie said, is “I Believe” by Blessid Union of Souls. She also will receive a painting and personal letter from Shay.

To Natalie, making the video was a chance to open up and share her feelings and experiences with bullying with her friends and teachers.

“A lot of my friends knew I was doing it,” she said. “They were excited and were supportive, too.”

Bullying is something everyone should take a stand against, Beth Stewart said.

“Everyone can play a role in stopping it, whether they’re involved or not,” she said.

Natalie said she hopes those who watch her video realize bullying does hurt.

“It doesn’t have to be severe, but it still hurts,” she said. “You say something and might not think it’s a big deal, but it is to that person.”