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Spencer was being bullied in school. Name-calling and exclusion by his peers made him feel alone – like he was the only one being picked on. It started in fourth grade and continued through sixth grade.
Now an eighth-grader at Deerlake Middle School, Spencer is an "overcomer." Spencer's mom Liz said that excelling in school and sports helped build Spencer’s confidence, "He’s a straight-A student and one of the fastest middle school runners in Leon County. I think once he started realizing that he’s a pretty darn good kid, then it kind of stopped bothering him so much what other people said, and because it didn’t bother him, people stopped saying things.”
Spencer has since realized that he was not alone and now he wants to help empower others who have been bullied.
"I just didn’t want people to have the [same] school experience as me,” he said. “After I figured out that a lot of people were bullied, I knew that some of those people who were really emotionally brought down – some of them were really, really hurt – that I needed to help those people out.”
To kick off National Bullying Prevention Month, Spencer and his parents have organized Spencer’s Run Against Bullying. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5555-2 Roanoke Trail off Thomasville Road in Tallahassee. It includes a 1-mile Fun Run at 8 a.m., followed by a 5K walk/run at 8:30 a.m. and a silent auction from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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Spencer’s Run Against Bullying
Spencer’s Run Against Bullying
Saturday, October 3 8:00am to 11:00am
posted by: Jasmine Harris, Communications Intern Tuesday, September 29, 2015 3:00pm
Everyday Liz Amsellem would pick up her son, Spencer, and ask about his day in school. He would say his day went fine, but her ‘mother’s intuition’ was telling her otherwise. It was when Spencer started tearing up after she asked about his day that she knew something was wrong.
Spencer was being bullied in school. Name-calling and exclusion by his peers made him feel alone – like he was the only one being picked on. It started in fourth grade and continued through sixth grade.
Now an eighth-grader at Deerlake Middle School, Spencer is an "overcomer." Spencer's mom Liz said that excelling in school and sports helped build Spencer’s confidence, "He’s a straight-A student and one of the fastest middle school runners in Leon County. I think once he started realizing that he’s a pretty darn good kid, then it kind of stopped bothering him so much what other people said, and because it didn’t bother him, people stopped saying things.”
Spencer has since realized that he was not alone and now he wants to help empower others who have been bullied.
"I just didn’t want people to have the [same] school experience as me,” he said. “After I figured out that a lot of people were bullied, I knew that some of those people who were really emotionally brought down – some of them were really, really hurt – that I needed to help those people out.”
To kick off National Bullying Prevention Month, Spencer and his parents have organized Spencer’s Run Against Bullying. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5555-2 Roanoke Trail off Thomasville Road in Tallahassee. It includes a 1-mile Fun Run at 8 a.m., followed by a 5K walk/run at 8:30 a.m. and a silent auction from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
All profits will go to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and to local elementary and middle schools to aid in bullying prevention. According to Phil Amsellem, Spencer’s father, there’s a possibility that Spencer’s run will help raise about $10,000.
Visit spencersrunagainstbullying.com for more information.