HARRIMAN, Tenn — Bullying in all forms continues to be a problem in schools.
According to DoSomething.org, one in five students ages 12-18 report they were bullied during the school year.
Sixth grade students experience bullying more often than others.
Roane County Schools want to change those statistics.
Some of their schools are trying new ways to reach their youngest students with the message: Don't be mean, intervene.
That slogan was repeated throughout the day Friday at Bowers Elementary School in Harriman.
Students learned how being nice has a lot more power than being mean.
"I think it's a lesson that we need to make sure all of our children hear," said Principal Brenda Arwood.
She worked with the Roane County Schools' student support staff, which planned a variety of anti-bullying lessons for the students.
"Talk about, you know, what it means to be a bully and how to stand up and stop bullying and promote kindness," said Arwood.
Students talked about where, when and why bullying happens at school, and how to stop it.
They played games, learned dances and acted out the roles kids play in bullying.
Fifth grader Alyssa Branam played the role of 'disengaged onlooker,' but in real life, she gets involved.
"It was actually in this classroom, there was a girl calling the other girl a mean name," she said.
We asked her what she did in that situation.
"I stopped her," Branam said.
She and her classmates know that sometimes it's not easy.
"I'm just gonna admit it, I've done it before," said fifth grader Xavier Hall. "I haven't bullied like constantly but I've been mean to other people before."
He said he doesn't plan to do that again, and kids learned that being nice is the best choice.
"Bullying's just not right, period," said Branam.
RELATED: School resource officers learning how to investigate and report cyber bullying and online threats
Staff is hoping kids see the reality of bullying early on and put a stop to it before they start using social media and are exposed to possible cyber bullying.