Local Experts To Address Issues of Cyber-Bullying and Internet Safety

September 23, 2010

A panel of local experts will address the issue of cyber-bullying and internet safety in today's technology driven world at Stonehill on Tuesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Sponsored by the Alumni Council Academic Committee, the event is free and open to the public. Associate Professor and chair of the Education Department Karen Anderson will serve as moderator.

For pre-teens and teenagers who are beginning to identify more strongly with their peers than their families, the results of internet harassment can be devastating, as seen in the suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of South Hadley, Massachusetts last January.

Cyber-bullying is becoming far more prevalent in the teenage world. Where children were once able to find sanctuary outside of school, cell phones and social networking sites have brought the bullying into their homes. Parents, school officials, and experts are taking notice and working together to combat internet abuse. The panel will concentrate on this pressing issue.

The Cyber-Bullying and Internet Safety Panel will feature:

David Smokler

Smokler is the Assistant Principal at Pembroke High School. A published author, he taught English in Needham and Sandwich prior to his arrival at Pembroke High. Smokler also spent one year teaching juvenile delinquents in Pennsylvania on a cross country trip in a horse drawn carriage and young criminals at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility.

Lisa Devine

Devine has been a school resource officer for the Quincy Police Department for the last four years. She was appointed to the Quincy Police Department in 1999.

Robert C. Devine

Devine is the Executive Officer at the Stoughton Police Department. He spent three years as a juvenile detective, handling numerous cases of traditional bullying as well as cyber-bullying. He still develops and runs juvenile anti-crime programs, and recently presented a program designed to explain the new "bullying law".

Panel Moderator Karen Anderson

Anderson is an authority on early childhood education, curriculum development, and professional development. A former New York City middle school teacher, she serves as an educational consultant for the National Head Start Family Literacy Project, the implementation team of the Archdiocese of Boston 2010 Initiative, and was named a Master Facilitator for the Massachusetts department of Education / Intel Mathematics Initiative.

Advanced registration is requested though Stonehill Connect or by calling the Alumni Office at (508) 565-1343.

Contact

For more information, contact the Alumni Office at 508-565-1343.