The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Project: Middle & High School Edition

The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Project:

Middle & High School Edition

 

In response to the bullying epidemic in our K-12 schools, nationally and in our own backyard here in Elk and Cameron Counties, the creative collective of St. Marys Area High School’s Dutch Manufacturing x John Schlimm x Community Education Center of Elk & Cameron Counties has spent the 2026/2027 school year creating The “Thumb’s Down to Bullying” Project. The first edition of this project is focused on middle and high schools.

The first six months of the project were spent brainstorming ideas and doing extensive research about bullying by sitting down with local middle and high school administrators, teachers, and students to better understand what bullying looks like across the region, and to especially hear directly from those individuals impacted the most.

After months of brainstorming, research, and development, DM x JS x CEC landed on the idea of a 3-D-printed, thumbs-down design with the word “BULLYING” unsteadily written across the fist. Produced as a backpack tag in several different, glow-in-the-dark colors, the design drives home the point that the collective, in collaboration with the schools, aims to put a dent in bullying by raising awareness and getting more people of all ages to talk about it. The initial 3,000 Thumbs Down to Bullying backpack tags are being self-funded by the Dutch Manufacturing program.

Working with partners, such as Dickinson Center, Penn State Extension, and area school districts, the DM x JS x CEC collective will distribute the 3,000 Thumbs Down to Bullying backpack tags to middle and high school students in Elk and Cameron Counties during The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Tour, which will take place during March to May 2026. This tour will also include stops at area seniors centers to thank the grandmas and grandpas who helped inspire this project by telling the collective about their grandkids who are bullied.

Created as a multimedia, STEAM and community-service project, in addition to the 3,000 backpack tags, DM x JS x CEC is also creating two, Thumbs Down to Bullying t-shirts that will be sold to the general public and a video installation that will be played during tour stops. Also, four DM student-artists are in the process of creating a Thumbs Down to Bullying graffiti mural that will be installed inside St. Marys Area High School and which is being generously funded by The Doris E Stackpole Foundation.

Tentative plans are currently underway for an elementary school edition of The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Project and Tour for the 2026/2027 school year.

Below are photos and other artifacts that invite you into the DM x JS x CEC collective’s journey of creating The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Project.

PART 1:

Brainstorming,

Research,

Development,

& Production

 

 

PART 2:

The “Thumbs Down to Bullying” Tour

COMING SOON!