(October 25, 2012)… Last season, the Rochester Knighthawks signed an anti-bullying pledge to kick off their 2012 season. The “We Got Your Back” program, which was founded by Hurricanes Lacrosse, was supported by the players and the entire staff. This season, the World Champions are taking the next step by bringing the anti-bullying message to local school children.

“The Knighthawks are looking forward to providing students with the information they need to recognize bullying, so they can become positive role models at their schools,” said Knighthawks President Lewis Staats.

The Knighthawks will make their first stop of the season at Cosgrove Middle School in Spencerport. Players Joe Walters and Joel White will talk to six graders on Wednesday, October 31st and Thursday, November 1st. Walters will discuss the anti-bullying program on the BEE Morning Coffee Club on Tuesday, October 30th at 9:00 a.m. on 92.5 FM.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the players will talk to students during the 8:05, 9:00 and 11:18 a.m. class periods. The partnership is just the first of many relationships the Knighthawks are looking to make in order to create a strong anti-bullying stance.

“I am thoroughly excited to establish a relationship and join forces with the Rochester Knighthawks to support an anti-bullying program for our students,” said Cosgrove Middle School Principal Ned Dale. “Their message is consistent with the goals of our school and district to bring awareness to the important topic of bullying and reinforce with our students that bullying is not appropriate.”

Walters and White will give a 45-minute presentation that includes the signs of bullying and how to handle bullying situations. Included in the anti-bullying presentation is the team’s “We Got Your Back” pledge, which the kids will sign after the event. This pledge was originally created by Ann Marie Leonardi of Hurricanes Lacrosse, which was adopted by the Knighthawks during the 2012 season.

During the school year, teachers and administrators at Cosgrove Middle School will reward students, who are being positive role models and standing up to bullying, with a voucher for two tickets to a Knighthawks game.

“Unfortunately, bullying is very prevalent in our community. Our goal with the ‘We Got Your Back’ campaign is to raise awareness amongst kids,” said Rochester native Joe Walters. “This is an issue everyone can relate to; it is important we do our part to educate as many kids as possible and make it known that bullying is unacceptable. We are excited to partner up with Cosgrove Middle School, as our first stop during the 2012-13 school year.”

It is estimated that about 30 percent of students in sixth through 10th grade in the United States are involved in bullying on a regular basis. The Knighthawks are eager to fight the growth of this percentage and decrease the amount of bullying that occurs in the Rochester community.

“I am happy to be a part of the anti-bullying program because bullying is a growing problem in the Rochester community,” said White. “The fact that Hurricanes Lacrosse and the Rochester Knighthawks were able to acknowledge this and get involved is awesome. This is a very special program and is extremely important to me and I am excited to start reaching out to kids in the Rochester area.”

For more information about the signs of bullying and what you can do to prevent it from happening, visit www.stopbullying.gov. To learn more about the Knighthawks’ anti-bullying program, go to www.knighthawks.com/appearance-requests.