MILLEDGEVILLE — As Baldwin County native and business owner Christopher Macken Cook shared his personal experiences with bullying while growing up and how he overcame the physical, emotional and mental affects from cruel tauntings and vicious beatings, a silent yet shocked room full of city, county, business, civic and school officials realized just how close the bullying epidemic is to home.

“I was afraid to go to the locker room because I was beaten with metal taps on the bottom of military shoes while they yelled [gay]. I had to stand in the corner every day for three years because I kept ‘forgetting’ my P.E. uniform. And that didn’t throw up any red flags,” Cook said about his middle and high school years in Baldwin County during a community summit Wednesday addressing bullying in schools. “I dropped out of school, and I got my GED; the same child that just recently got his scores back for his graduation tests, and they were three points from perfect, was now a high school dropout. I have since started my own company and have had a wonderful career. I enjoy every single day of my life. And you know what? In 10 years, I have not taken one single anti-depressant.”

The Georgia Afterschool Investment Council (GAIC), the Georgia Municipal Association and America’s Promise Alliance sponsored Wednesday’s meeting, “An Afterschool Grad Nation Summit: Creating Bully Free Environments for Student Success.” The day’s activities kicked off with an introduction video presenting local students’ perspective and testimonials on bullying compiled by Campus Club Milledgeville.

“Bullying in school is a significant issue in Baldwin County,” GAIC Executive Director Jill Riemer said in a press release. “This summit is designed to give local stake holders a platform to discuss the challenges bullying presents, assess available resources to effectively address the issue, strategize ways to overcome bullying and leave with an action plan in place.”

Five local and state leaders spearheaded a panel and roundtable discussion answering questions about identifying bullying situations, why children bully, ways to deter domineering behavior, how local businesses and afterschool programs can get involved, red flags teachers and parents should look for and where to find available resources in the Baldwin community.

“I’ve seen first-hand how bullying has an affect in education and the dropout rate, which is increasingly becoming an issue. [The signs] we would observe were a change in students behavior, deterioration of grades and the child becomes isolated,” Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman and former Baldwin High School Principal Lyn Chandler said as a panelist during the discussion. “One of the most effective strategies is to create groups within schools that demonstrate appropriate behavior. Without a good quality school system, you cannot have economic development. My purpose here today is to connect with the business community through the Chamber of Commerce and to make sure we’re developing the best relationship, and I hope our business community will step up to that challenge proactively.”

Georgia College Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Lana McDowell said bullying continues to occur amongst individuals beyond the elementary, middle and high school levels, witnessing verbal harassment between college peers.

“As a college professor, I can see [bullying] take place even in the college classroom. The ability to acknowledge it and be able to pull those individuals aside to take action is holding yourself accountable,” she said. “When we think about offenders, we think about us and them. [We need to realize how our] actions are going to affect the rest of us and to be mindful that we are connected, and however we react to situations is going to affect us today and many years from now.”

Milfred Zeno, with the Fulton County Juvenile Court and Restorative Board coordinator, also added how community individuals must maintain a level of standard even when being bullied.

“There is a standard that we must stick to. We have to believe in what we do, as law enforcement officers, as leaders and as parents,” Zeno said to the attentive crowd. “There is a level of standard that we must maintain.”

After hearing from keynote speaker Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Sharon Hill, those in attendance broke off into groups to discuss strategies to overcome bullying, actions needed to form a more unified community and utilizing resources in order to wane bullying statistics before sharing their ideas.

“I believe we need a restorative justice program, not only in the schools, but in the community,” Flipper Chapel AME Pastor Church David Luke said. “As a pastor, I think it will work in church where we can teach principals.”

“We need to create a culture where children can talk to us ... so we can hopefully eliminate or minimize bullying in its tracks,” Campus Club Milledgeville Assistant Director Clifton Leonard added. “We can then change the way society looks at bullying.”

“I would like to establish a diversity council,” said Julie Cook, head of Milledgeville-Baldwin County Work Ready initiative. “We’ve got wonderful teachers in school, and I would like to facilitate resources out and pull resources together.”

Mayor Richard Bentley provided closing remarks addressing the bullying issue and dropout rates, and deeply appreciated individuals from all aspects of the community for getting involved in the initiative with a willingness to make a change.

“Regardless of where we stand in our community, we can make a difference. My encouragement today is that this group stays cohesive, continues to dial off of each other and continues to reach other young people that we haven’t reached,” he said. “I’ve been very impressed with the strength and moral of the community. There are better days ahead for our children.”