
Courtesy: Morgan Kielty
On the first day of second semester students got to witness BMX professionals in action in the main gym. They saw tricks, flips and BMX routines during the hour-long assembly, but the purpose of the assembly had a deeper meaning and message: anti-bullying.

The assembly organizers are from ASA Entertainment and came to Camas as part of their high school tour. When students were not witnessing the BMX action, the MC, Micah Kranz, spoke to students about the dangers of bullying. He presented facts about underreporting bullying, different types of bullying that can occur, and how to avoid bullying when it happens.
Associate Principal Tim Fox says ASA approached him about putting on the assembly. He liked the idea because it presented an opportunity to bring students together, especially those who may not be active participants in clubs, sports or other programs at CHS. Fox thinks the assembly did the trick. “This was the most engaged I’ve seen the students in any assembly. [It] got to some of those kids who aren’t involved in a lot.

While many students enjoyed watching the BMX athletes in action, it seems the message was lost in translation for some. Audio problems prevented the intended message from being received by everyone in the packed gym. It was a struggle to get so many students into the tight space and still make room for the ramp and athletes to work. Senior Rylan Thompson said, “It was hard to hear what the guy was saying,” while freshman Katlynn Forner said, “I was wondering when the bullying part was coming.” One student even went so far as to say, “I really thought the student body was disrespectful, and the statistics went unheard.”
Although there were a few minor glitches in the assembly, it seems a lot of students got the message. Fox said he spoke with students in the main commons following the assembly and heard a lot of positive feedback. “They were able to spew out facts I didn’t even know.” Senior Josh Rule thought the assembly was “cool, and I can see where the school was going trying to connect with the kids.”