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JANE MADDEN WELCHTwo men who survived being bullied all their lives impart a powerful message to middle schoolers.
PALM HARBOR - When Chris Hollyfield told a group of sixth-graders about the time school bullies hung him from a coat rack by his belt, he had their undivided attention.
The students, gathered Friday in the Joseph L. Carwise Middle School cafeteria, had just watched a video on bullying that discussed discrimination faced by short people.
Hollyfield, 4 feet 4, was one of the men featured in the video.
"What I have genetically is dwarfism, but the terminology we prefer is short-statured or low person," Hollyfield said.
Pinellas sheriff's Deputy Michael Guarneri arranged for the video and guest speakers as part of his ongoing campaign to raise awareness about bullying. He has been the school resource officer at Carwise for the past nine years.
"You might not know it, but it's there," he said. "I've seen adults that bully and don't even realize it. If adults can't recognize bullying, how do we expect kids to?"
Guarneri, who serves on the board of directors for the Florida Association of School Resource Officers, heard about the 3D T.E.A.M. Foundation and its program that teaches children to recognize bullying.
Hollyfield and Billy Klinke began the foundation four years ago and have visited 140 schools to deliver their antibullying message and encourage children to respect themselves and others.
"I felt our voices could make a change," Hollyfield said.
Hollyfield, 37, was born in Pensacola. He was a professional wrestler for 15 years and set a record by lifting three times his body weight in a bench-pressing competition.
He now resides in Orlando, where the 3D T.E.A.M. Foundation is located.
"Being visually different automatically makes you a target," Klinke said. The men talk about what they've gone through and their accomplishments.
"I was a victim. I have a name," Klinke began as he addressed the assembly.
He spoke about being made fun of throughout his life because of being different.
"We are survivors of being bullied all our lives," he said.
Klinke, 45, is an inch shorter than Hollyfield. He was a jockey for 15 years, with more than 1,000 first-place wins. He was born and raised in New York and now lives in Melbourne.
Parents and siblings of Hollyfield and Klinke are of average height. Hollyfield and Klinke are the only short-statured people in their extended families.
They talked comfortably to the students about dwarfism. Their upper bodies and torsos are the same size as an average person; their arms and legs are shorter. There are more than 200 different types of dwarfism, Hollyfield said.
Clearly, the speakers engaged students' interest, sixth-grade assistant principal Paula Nelson said.
"It is relevant to what kids deal with," she said. "Boys and girls get teased because they are overweight or short."
Hollyfield and Klinke fielded a wide range of questions from the students: Are they married? No. Do they have girlfriends? Yes. Do they have children? No. When did they know they had dwarfism? From birth. Can they drive a car? Yes. Do they have pets? Yes.
"I like the way these gentlemen, right off the bat, addressed their size and dispelled any snickering typical of middle school kids," Nelson said.
The speakers ended by reciting their foundation's formula for success: You must have a 3D life - dedication, determination and desire - to be a friend and not a bully.
Carwise principal Gary Linder said the school has created a database to track incidents of bullying and see if there are repeat offenders.
"It's not always the big kid causing the problems," he said. "We deal with each individual case and try to take care of it right away."
Eighth-grader Karla Quinones, 14, said the antibullying message has made a difference.
"Things have improved since when I was in sixth grade," she said.
Sixth-grader Jennifer Smith, 12, said she has been a victim of bullying. She said the 3D TEAM program "definitely helped me."
Kyle Kokot, 12, said: "I like that they stood up for who they are."
The program was sponsored by the Carwise PTA.
"This is an attempt to be proactive about the potential problem of bullying," Guarneri said. "Each new, incoming class of kids has to be taught the message."
Hollyfield and Klinke made separate presentations to the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade classes. During a lunch break, they patiently signed hundreds of autographs.
Sixth-grader Monica Cabrera, 12, thought the program was cool.
"I learned that even if people bully you, you shouldn't bully them back. Just walk away," Monica said. She stood in line for an autographed picture, which she plans to laminate and hang on her bedroom wall.
Guarneri said he could give the same message to the students, but it was stronger coming from Hollyfield and Klinke, people who experienced the teasing firsthand.