Two years ago during a lunch meeting of the Eagles Rise Up Club at Middle School South in Lake Zurich, a member suggested the students write a book about bullying.
“It started as an idea that we didn’t know we could make happen,” said Noah Krychenko, an eighth-grader from Lake Zurich. “Our leader made us realize it was possible and then it just happened.”
The club’s faculty sponsor, Cindy Milone, a seventh-grade science teacher, was surprised by the idea, but didn’t reject it.
“My response was, ‘You do know I’m a science teacher, right?’” Milone said. “It all started from there.”
Milone reminded students of a story she had shared with them before the club started. Her son, Sam, was bullied online when he was younger and became so upset that he attempted suicide, she said.
Sam, now 21, has recovered, but his story provided a template for the students to look more closely at the problem, Milone said.
“By sharing that story, that’s when we decided in order to fix the problem of bullying, first you need to understand all aspects of bullying,” she said. “That’s why we included stories from the lenses of bullies, bystanders and victims.”
The 96-page paperback, “You Are Not Invisible,” is a collection of stories and letters written from each of those points of view. It’s available at Lulu.com for $12.99. The students are donating the proceeds to the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
“I’m so impressed,” Principal John Walsh said. “Not too many middle-schoolers can say they have published a book. This is something they can carry with them the rest of their lives. They can just go on the internet and find the book. It’s incredible. It’s such an honor.”
Eagles Rise Up is a club of students who work together to spread awareness about bullying and to “spread the message to give people kindness and to be kind to everyone,” said Natalie Czarnick, an eighth-grader from Deer Park.
“You Are Not Invisible” was chosen as the title because everyone involved in bullying should know they are not invisible to anyone, said Gillian Kramer, an eighth-grader from Kildeer.
“With all the stories combined, we thought it would be a good (title) to bring it all together,” Gillian said.
Most importantly, victims need to know they are not invisible, Natalie said.
“They might feel like they are,” she said. “They might not be feeling good or confident and they might not be sure anyone is going to help out. That’s where the bystander is very important. You might feel like you can’t do anything, but you can. You could change the whole situation and outcome.”
Students learned that, in most cases, bullies experience hard times in which they lose confidence in themselves, Natalie said.
“That is why they start bullying,” she said. “To realize they’re not invisible and they have a friend is a good place to start before the situation even begins.”
So far, the book has achieved its goal of promoting awareness of bullying and encouraging kindness in local schools and communities, Noah said.
“I think we have because our school has no bullying,” he said. “There are a lot of people in our school that would stand up against bullying if they saw it. I think the book is a big reason why. People who didn’t know about it now know how serious it can be.”
After promoting and raising funds for the book’s publishing on Feb. 7, Eagles Rise Up members were honored at a recognition breakfast and an all-school assembly last month.
“It felt really surreal,” Gillian said. “I knew when we were writing it that it would be published. I just didn’t process it in my head. When it started happening, it was just, like, amazing.”
Abby Suarez, who worked with the students on behalf of the Rizzo foundation, could not be reached for comment.
Phil Rockrohr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.