Abigail Bense was announced Miss. Rodeo Arkansas on January 7, 2023. Bense promotes anti-bullying  by going around schools with her other rodeo queens. Her famous quote is “Speak up, stand up, and saddle up. I believe that her anti-bullying platform is a great thing that should go around all schools.

Cowgirl courage started because Bense and her sister got bullied in school. Once she was announced as Miss. Rodeo Arkansas she decided to go around schools and present her platform called Cowgirl Courage. Bense says “bullying has continued to grow especially with social media.” Bullying on social media has increased over 42 percent in recent years. 

Chaffin middle school counselor, Amy Ottman says “I know it is something that is concerning and I never want any student to feel bullied, i think that a lot of attention in the last 5-10 years has been brought to bullying so I think sometimes people have misinformation about bullying.” Bullying is something that not one child should face. Bullying can impact a child in more ways then others. For example it can cause children to be left out, feeling like you’re rejected, self hate, and so much more.

In 2019, a study shows that 17.5% of high school students were bullied online in over 12 months. 

I believe that the platform that Bense has set to acknowledge bullying is a great platform and it should be in more schools. Students in middle school are bullied every day. Not only that cowgirl courage can be used for all ages. There are also younger queens that go around schools and start clubs and speak up.

Schools are the breeding ground for bullies, especially in middle schools. Studies show that 1 in every 5 students is bullied every day. When Dustin Clark, a Chaffin middle school assistant principle asked what he thinks about bullying as a whole, responded with  “I hate for anyone to have to go through that, there is no reason for someone to be scared to go to school or to be apart of anything because there worried about what somebody else is gonna say or do to them.”

We need to stand out, and acknowledge bullying. When asked how Chaffin is stopping bullying, Ottman stated “from a student that is being bullied probably not but from my  perspective we have.”