FVHS has your back

Guest speaker and former professional fighter Mark Munoz tells the freshmen about his experiences with bullies and the effect they had on his life. Photo by Julia Pacis.by Cecilia Nguyen and Julia Pacis, Staff Writers

On Monday, all freshmen at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) attended a mandatory bullying assembly in which guest speaker Mark Munoz informed the students about bullying and told his personal story.

The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) started the anti-bullying program “I’ve Got Your Back” to spread awareness on bullying and how to help someone if they are being bullied.

“We realized bullying was a really important issue. It was almost like an epidemic was taking over, so we wanted to raise awareness and address the issue,” Victoria Johnson, Community Liaison for the OCDE, said.

OCDE partnered with Mark Munoz to reach out to schools throughout California. During the assembly, Munoz, a former Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) fighter and professional mixed martial artist, shared his story of how bullying led him on the path to success, and how he hopes this assembly inspired students.

“I’m excited just for the kids on this campus to be able to be kind and encourage one another and help each other when they see the bullying happening on campus,” said Munoz.

Students learned during the assembly that 160,000 kids are bullied everyday, and that this bullying could lead the victims to cutting themselves, bullying other people, eating disorders, or even suicide. For many freshmen, this adjusted their view on bullying.

“It changed my perspective on bullying because a lot of people have been bullied over the country. I didn’t know people could die from bullying,” Kiana Sani (’19) said.

Freshmen were taught the four different types of bullying: social, cyber, verbal and physical, and what to do if they or other people were being bullied.

“If someone bullies you, you need to tell someone to protect yourself, ” Sani said.

Twenty four students from FVHS went through the training process of “I’ve Got Your Back” and are now ambassadors of change. They advocate for anti-bullying and bring attention and understanding to the harsh realities of the effects on bullying. Munoz, Johnson, and the “I’ve Got Your Back” Team intend to bring attention to not only bullying, but also the effects that it has on the bully and the victim. 

“I hope that the students realize that their life choices affect who they become and who they are and that they realize the issue of bullying is important and they do step up and say something if they see someone getting bullied,” Johnson said.