It's a timeless issue that's been a theme in books and movies, from "Harry Potter" to "A Christmas Story."
And today, bullying is as likely to happen in cyberspace as on the playground. Though a recent study found that fewer children are being bullied, it's still a hot topic among parents with reports of young people getting more than their feelings hurt; some have even committed suicide.
Starting Friday, Raleigh Little Theatre will take on the issue when it presents an adaptation of "The Hundred Dresses" by children's author Eleanor Estes. Published in 1944, her story is set in a small Connecticut town in 1938 when the country is still reeling from the effects of the Great Depression. It will run through March 28.
Its plot - about a young immigrant girl trying to fit into school while the rich girls pick on her - applies to today's youth, said Linda O'Day Young, the theater's education director.
"It's a classic story," she said. "Young people deal with teasing and judging, and a lot of them are from other countries. They are poor, and I really feel like it related."
The victims
Dorothy Thompson, a counselor at Project Enlightenment, said that program began hosting parent workshops on bullying after parents came in with children who were being bullied.
Project Enlightenment, an early childhood education and intervention program of the Wake County Public School System, helps teachers and parents of young children.
Bullying is not new, Thompson said, but they were surprised to see victims as young as 3. The workshops help parents guide children who are bullied and teaches parents what creates a bully.
"Bullies are children with a low self-esteem, who don't have solutions to behaviors," Thompson said. "So they take their bad feelings out on other children," particularly children who are a little different.
"They seem to have a radar for it," she said.
Tiffany Taylor of Garner has watched her son go from being an outgoing 8-year-old who liked school to a boy who is constantly worried. Her son started a new school this year and has been picked on, particularly by girls, Taylor said.
"There's a lot of gay bashing," Taylor said. "I didn't think 8-year-olds knew about gay bashing, but they say things like 'you're a girl' or they say he sounds like a white girl."
Taylor found out about the bullying only when her son started crying during his nightly prayers.
"My heart goes out to the bullies because they are not getting something they need," she said. But "my heart is also hurting for my son."
The play
In "The Hundred Dresses," starring seven young actors, Wanda Petronski (played by Maddy Kunkel) is the daughter of a Polish immigrant. She speaks with an accent and wears the same, tattered dress to school every day.
Wanda desperately wants to fit in but is mostly ignored by the other girls until she announces she has 100 dresses in her closet. This gets the attention of her classmate Peggy Thomas (played by Ellie Dusek), who begins a teasing game in which she and other girls ask Wanda every day to describe the dresses.
The story is told through the point of view of Peggy's best friend, Maddie Reeves (played by Hannah Hoskins), who participates in the teasing, but feels bad for Wanda. Maddie, whose father is out of work, is also poor and knows the teasing game is wrong. But Peggy is the most popular girl in school, and if Maddie stands up to her, she fears the kids will turn on her too.
Reaching young people
To increase the impact of the play, Young has reached out to fourth-grade classes at three Wake County elementary schools - Bugg Magnet, Powell Magnet and A.B. Combs Magnet - who have read the book and are discussing its themes. The classes will attend a performance of the play.
The theater has also partnered with the region's Girl Scouts to offer a workshop about bullying. Girls will attend a play performance and then attend workshops with the cast and crew to discuss ways of dealing with bullying.
"I think this is a really timely topic," said Deanna Welker, program director for the Girl Scouts. "Of all the things middle school girls are dealing with, this is a big one. I think the girls will really get a lot out of it."
