Musician Tommy Gardner gets K.T. Murphy School students involved in his anti-bullying and kindness program.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Students sang and clapped along during the program.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Tommy Gardner leads students in a song about saying "no" to smoking.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Fourth-graders Vanessa Maldonado and Alex Phillipson enjoyed Tommy Gardner's anti-bullying program.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Vanessa Maldonado, who turns 10 Feb. 23, and Alex Phillipson, 9, said they would never bully other kids.

Photo Credit: Felicia Hunter

Alex Phillipson knows a little something about bullying. He’s been teased a bit in the past. But the 9-year-old fourth-grader realizes bullies just have a hard time sorting out their problems, and instead like to pick on other people.

So, Alex and other students at K.T. Murphy School enthusiastically announced they’d be “Tease Busters!” to help stomp out bullying. That was one of the upbeat songs performed by musician Tommy Gardner during two school assemblies on bullying and kindness Friday, the last day of school before winter break.

[breakhere] The event was made possible in part by Main Street Connect’s Better Schools Bonanza. The K.T. Murphy School PTO was one of the winners of the fall promotion, earning $500 by getting at least 100 people to register on the MSC web site. MSC is the parent company of The Daily Stamford and nine other online community news sites.

The school’s anti-bullying campaign was a perfect way to use the funds, said PTO Co-President Lorraine Masone.  The first assembly was for youngsters in grades 3 through 5, the second for K through 2.

Gardner, who hails from Orangeburg, N.Y., is one-half of the performance duo The Uncle Brothers.

“We tie into kindness and respect everywhere we go,” he said about the theme of their kid-centered show.

With his entertaining original songs, Gardner encouraged the K.T. Murphy students to continuously perform “A-OK,” an act of kindness, “Think Before You Type,” to curtail cyber-bullying, and to take care of their bodies by being drug- and smoke-free.

Though Alex was already convinced, “It’s always good to remember,” he said. He said the program was “great. I love everything because it was funny.”

Vanessa Maldonado, 9, said she liked the hand-clapping beat of the songs. “I thought it was cool,” she said.

Have you ever been bullied? What do you tell your children about how to react to a bully?