Lukancic Anti-Bullying Video Gains Statewide Recognition

Editor's note: The following is a press release issued by the .

Seven students will be honored at the governor’s mansion in Springfield Monday for their efforts in creating an anti-bullying video that earned the top prize in the Illinois Youth Digital Safety Contest.

Sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, the 2012 statewide contest was designed to raise awareness about the importance of bystander intervention when it comes to bullying.

“These guys worked really hard on this video. They came up with the idea, shot the pictures and video and put it all together,” said Lisa Arnold, the sponsor of Lukancic’s Applied Tech Club. “I’m really proud of them.”

Sean Fisher, Malik Tifah, Jonathan Candia, Jordan Sanneman, Pedro Candia, Hailey Parks and Ethan Whitmarsh served as cast and crew for the video which opens with school hallway bullying incidents in black and white and has a terrific ending in full color with friends helping friends. In between, the students used signs to depict the types of emotions a bullying victim goes through.

“Usually when you walk through the hallways, you’re focused on getting to your next class. But some people are getting bullied right at their lockers,” Sanneman said. “This video is about trying to stop that bullying.”

“Kids get bullied any place. Nobody notices,” Candia added. “You have to try to understand what they feel to understand the full meaning of bullying.”

Fisher, who played the role of the bullying victim, admitted his fellow Applied Tech Club members needed “lots of re-takes” before it was finished.

“We made it like it was actually happening,” Tifah said.

Following Monday’s ceremonies at the Governor’s Mansion, the video will be posted on the ISBA website as well as the Attorney General’s and Lieutenant Governor’s websites.  It may also be used for educational purposes, including a public service announcement.

The video has also been posted to VVSD’s Facebook page and is available for subscribers only.