A cheerleader with Down syndrome being bullied at a Lincoln Middle School basketball game in Kenosha, Wisconsin spurred three of the basketball players to walk off the field in her defense.
Desiree Andrews moves to her own internal rhythms while cheering on the sidelines. After someone in the stands began criticizing her, some eighth grade players, Miles Rodriguez, Chase Vazquez and Scooter Terrien stepped in to stop it.
“A couple of us went over there and were like, can you guys just stop, that’s not right,” Miles Rodriguez, told WTMJ-4 News.
In honor of Dee’s enthusiasm and sweet smile, the school’s athletic director said he was going to hang a banner that proclaims the school’s gym to be “D’s House” — a nicknamed that has stuck over the past year.
A community business owner saw the story in a newscast and said they would donate the banner.
(WATCH the video above or READ the story, w/ photos, from Kenosha News)
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Well done young men! It’s so nice to see the views towards bullying changing among the students and I congratulate those players for coming to Desiree’s defense. When I was a freshman in high school I got picked on quite a bit because I had long hair and was a serious KISS fan at a school full of rednecks. One kid–sadly I don’t remember his name–was big and tall for his age and he decided he didn’t like people picking on me and decided to help. After he intervened, the bullying all but stopped. This was back in 1975 when bullying was “no big deal and a right of passage.” It is so encouraging to see today’s youth stepping up and facing such important issues and not buckling to peer pressure and joining in the “fun” of belittling others.
Awesome kid to have stepped in!
Things have changed, I agree, in a positive way. Happily.
:-/