KENNESAW, Ga. -- When you think back to middle school, you probably don't think of your best days, or your proudest moments. But, a group of middle schoolers is taking a stand.
Students in the "Movie Makers" group at McClure Middle School recently finished a 12-minute film called "Stand Up." They hope it will be shown in schools around Georgia, in an effort to get more middle schoolers to stand up against bullies.
The movie chronicles a student who is the victim of bullies at school.
"There's something important, something authentic about this story that needs to be shared," said Movie Makers leader Joel Marc.
One of the Movie Makers, Carson Seabolt, wrote the movie initially as an essay.
"In past generations there have been a lot of big topics that affect teenagers, and I really do think that bullying is one of the biggest problems of our generation," said student filmmaker Carson Seabolt.
Bullying most definitely is a problem among students.
"We've had Columbine. Now we have kids as young as 8 years old that are committing suicide because they're being bullied," said Marc.
"Yes, there was bullying in our time but at the same time we looked at it as a rite of passage," he said. "We're learning that it should not be a rite of passage."
Mr. Marc says he was involved in the movie-making process, but it was the students who made the movie what it was.
"I want to create something for those kids to be able to stand up and get rid of the bullies and just live their lives to the fullest instead of being condemned," said Chandler Jackson.
Mr. Marc also leads a group of students called "Men of Determination." The students wear shirts and ties to school every day, and Mr. Marc is helping change their attitudes.
"A school that is proactive every day about kids practicing positive behavior reaching the kid that you should make eye contact and shake a person's hand rather than [nod their head]. That's important."