Clark County freshman calls 'No Bull' on bullying
CLARK COUNTY, Ohio (WRGT) - Walk in someone else's shoes, a simple saying.
But if you were the bully, would you switch places?
"You don't know what it's like to be someone else," said Kolton Rice, a freshman at Shawnee High School. "If you can take a walk in their shoes, you're going to see what's happening."
In the eyes of Kolton, that empathy for others' pain is the point.
"A lot of schools, sadly they respond poorly to bullying, and that can lead a child to something major," Kolton said.
So, he did something about it.
"I made a video, wasn't expecting it to go far," he said.
Kolton submitted his PSA to the Great American No Bull Challenge, a nationwide advocacy organization. To his surprise, he won.
That was last year, but his story starts long before then.
"We spoke at a middle school a couple years ago, and we had a student who was really, really interested in what we had to say," said Tyler Gregory, a 'No Bull' national spokesperson.
Tyler, along with his friend Scott Hannah, held one of their first assemblies as part of the organization. Kolton was in the audience.
"He was like, tell me more about how I can make a video," Tyler said.
"When I go speak at schools, I let students know that our platform, the 'No Bullying' platform, is a place for their voice to be heard," Scott said.
It's safe to say for Kolton, also a budding magician, it was magic. The idea his film could be fight bullies, pushed him to create another video this year.
The theme: It only takes one.
"Being able to see students like Kolton actually go out and do it successfully, that's the goal," Tyler said.
Long-term, Kolton wants to become a 'No Bull' spokesperson. Right now, his focus is on awareness and education in Clark County.
"If a school can respond better to bullying, they can also be saving a child's life," Kolton said.
Students can still submit videos to the 'No Bull' Challenge. The deadline is February 23. Public voting for Kolton's video starts on the 27th.
