Rosemary Clarke Middle School's new anti-bullying program and task force has been officially named "Peace Matters."

The program, comprising parents, students, teachers and administrators, takes a pro-active approach to combating bullying on the campus.

It focuses on education and prevention, not only teaching students what to do if they are bullied but how to avoid becoming a bully and why it's important to, literally, keep the peace on campus.

The program has been in high gear since the beginning of the school year.

Students held a poster contest and helped decide on the name.

In addition, counselors have been going to classes and teaching kids about assertiveness. Other issues, such as sexual harassment and compromise, have been covered in school-wide assemblies.

Peace Matters has also been incorporated into Peace Week, a stretch of activities with student participation which emphasized peace and understanding and culminated in a peace pole dedication Dec. 10.