Experts define bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children. It's a behavior that is repeated or has the potential to be repeated.

School officials note that some kids may not even realize what they are doing is considered bullying, but those kids who are on the opposite end of those actions said they certainly feel the effects.

To protect the victim in this story, no names will be mentioned. (In the video portion, no faces will be shown and voices have been altered.)

You know the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

Well, anyone who has been bullied knows that isn't exactly true. For one student, that saying actually has the opposite meaning.

"During our free period they kept throwing balls at me and I ended up crying because they kept throwing the balls at me, the paper balls and they kept making fun of me because what color my hair was and because I kept telling them to stop," the victim describes one instance of bullying. "They kept saying, 'aww you're a little baby.'"

The taunting, which the victim describes as relentless, goes beyond the classroom--- making her feel like she can't escape it---leading her to take drastic measures.

"At the football game, I was getting called a bunch of stuff that I am not allowed to repeat and I ended up crying, screaming a song that I loved ... and that's technically what the song is about and scratching myself until I bled," said the victim.

Being a victim of bullying hasn't only hurt this student, it has had a serious impact on the person who loves her the most, her mom.

"Having my daughter come to me at 1:30 in the morning bleeding from her wrists ... Was the worst thing I've ever been through," said the victim's mother.

"My fear is that the schools aren't going to do enough about this until we lose one of these kids ... And I don't want it to be mine."

Schools around the Ohio Valley are doing their best to prevent bullying by promoting programs like "Think Before You Speak" and even bringing in certified bully prevention trainers to make it clear that they will not tolerate any antagonizing.

One such prevention trainer, Lori Kovacs, said, "The stories from parents about what their kids go through on a daily basis and how the kids are afraid to report it and I just wanted to get out there and let the victims know they're not alone and let the bullies know that there are alternatives to their behavior."
But aside from all the prevention programs, bullying still happens ... And this victim has one thing to say about it.

"I just want people to stop bullying other people because I don't even know why they do it in the first place," said the victim.

Her mom has a message for those kids picking on her daughter.

"Every kid bullies or is bullied at some point in time, but some of these kids are taking it to extremes. There's always going to be somebody bigger than you and you don't want to be on the receiving end of what you put these kids through," the victim's mother said.

This victim has stopped attending the school where she was bullied and has plans to start cyber schooling.

NEWS9 did reach out to the school the victim went to and they said this case is under investigation.
They said they take bullying very seriously and that they investigate every report they receive. On top of that, they, too, have a bully prevention program in place.

We have gotten a large response from residents about their experience or their child's experience with bullying.

In response, all bully prevention experts said the best thing a parent or a victim can do is let someone know. If there's a problem--- report it, keep reporting it, and make sure something is done.