Meet the Crew!

Students will relate to and identify with this cast of elementary school characters, each with a distinct personality and abilities. Several characters were inspired by PACER’S Puppet Program, which helps audiences of all ages learn about disabilities, social inclusion, and bullying prevention.

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  Hi, I’m Brad! I used to call little kids names and mess with them all the time. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I thought it was funny! That is, until my mom asked me how I would feel if someone did that to me. That really made me stop and think. I don’t want to act that way anymore. Now, I try to treat people with respect!

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  ¡Hola! I’m Carmen. I don’t like it when I see kids picking on other kids. Me parece mal. I know how it feels because it happened to me. I have epilepsy, sometimes I stare off in the distance, or my body looks like I’m doing dance moves. I can’t control those things, so I take medicine for it. Kids at school used to make fun of me, and I felt sad and lonely. Talking to my dad and a teacher at school about it really helped me feel better. I don’t want anyone else to ever feel that way. ¿Me ayudas? Will you help me speak up about bullying?

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  Hey, I’m Chandra. I’m new at school. My little brother has autism and is the sweetest person, but sometimes other kids bully him because he does some things differently and can take longer to do them. That’s not okay. When that happens, I tell my teacher about it, and she helps me get the bullying to stop. I want to stop bullying in my school because no one should ever be bullied. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness!

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  Hi. My name is Jay. I wear hearing aids. They help; but I still can’t hear like other kids, so I read lips and use sign language, too. Sometimes people make fun of the way I talk. That makes me feel sad, especially when they don’t include me in games just because I do things differently. I’m really good at kickball though. Want to be on my team?

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  Hey, I’m Matt. I’m really good at lots of things. I’m even captain of our math team. My whole team jokes and teases each other – it’s just what we do – I didn’t think it was hurting anybody. But one day my joking around did hurt someone. Coach told me that a joke is not funny if it makes someone else feel bad. I learned that good leaders don’t act the way I did. Now, I do my best to make sure everyone on the team feels like they belong.

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  Hello, I’m Mickey. I was born with Down syndrome. I don’t always say a lot, but I like it when you talk with me. I really like baseball and funny dog videos. The school playground is fun, but sometimes I don’t have anyone to play with. If you see me at recess, ask me to join you!

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  Hi, there. I’m Molly. My friends and I like to have fun together, but sometimes other kids pick on them. I really don’t like that, and I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. So, I’m going to talk to my friends and come up with a plan to help kids get to know each other better. It’s way more fun when we include each other! Want to sit with us at lunch?

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  Hello, my name is Mrs. Bridge. I teach at the school that the Club Crew attends. I’m glad you’re here and want to learn how to prevent bullying. I encourage all my students to speak up, reach out, and be a friend. My students know that I am an adult they can trust. So, feel free to come talk to me anytime. Together, we can use kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to create a world without bullying!

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  Hi! I’m Nick. I see bullying sometimes, but I’m never sure what to do. It’s really frustrating. I mean, I know bullying is not okay, but what am I supposed to do about it? I’m afraid that if I do or say something, I might make it worse. Or what if it happens to me, too? I have ADHD, and I’m afraid I’ll get bullied because of it. Friend stuff can be confusing. I wish we could all just play and get along. Hey, do you want to play foursquare?

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  (Squeak!) Hi, I’m Pip! Before I got adopted, I was in a shelter with so many other hamsters. They chased me and called me lots of silly names because I was the littlest one. I don’t know why they did that, do you? I don’t think anyone should be called mean names. Just call them by their own names—mine is Pip!

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  Hello! My name’s Sally, and I get around school in this cool red wheelchair because I have cerebral palsy. Sure, my muscles don’t always do what I want them to, but I play sports, ride horses, go swimming, and even code my own computer games! Oh, and I love music. Carmen and I wrote a song about speaking up and reaching out if you see people being bullied. Want to hear it?

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  Hey, I’m Shannon. My friends and I like fashion and have all the latest accessories. Everyone wants to be friends with us because we’re so popular. Once we pretended to be someone else on the internet and started rumors about some girls. I was having fun until I saw one of the girls crying about it at school. She was really hurt. My friends and I all felt bad, so we told her we did it and that we were very sorry. I don’t want to make anyone cry again.