Editor's Note: IR reporter Laura Tode spent time with a number of Helena students recently to get their perspective on how safe their schools are and what problems they see.

Bullied to the brink.

There isn't any question in the minds of Helena's high school students as to what might cause someone to bring a gun to school.

The constant torture of threats, harassment and bullying can push most anyone to the brink -- a breaking place where a child will consider anything to stop the insults, stop the battery and stop the fear.

"They can't hold it in any longer," said Capital High School student Camden Jenkins.

They get jabbed in the hallways, assaulted in locker rooms and mocked for even the slightest difference, all beneath the radar of teachers and administrators.

"You can tell the kids who get bullied all the time they just look down and pretend they are not even there," said Jenkins' classmate, Max Carlson.

Administrators have said that threats and harassment played a role in the reason behind Michael Tynan's decision to bring a gun to school with him, but they're quick to point out that those conflicts weren't going on at school.

According to Helena High School Assistant Principal Brian Cummings, Tynan was being harassed off-campus by older, former students who had dropped out of school.

Still, students perceive a direct link between bullying and school violence, and some high school students are wondering just exactly what makes a school safe.

"Yeah, we feel safe, but we're not the ones being bullied," said Helena High School student Nicola Perez.

"I'm not really afraid of the bullies, it's the kids that have been bullied for so long," said CHS student Johnna Oitzinger. "We need to eliminate bullying so that kids that are being bullied aren't pushed to their limits."

Most students said they see the recent incidents at Helena High where a student brought a gun to school and another stashed home-built explosives in a locker as isolated, but not unusual.

"I don't think it's uncommon, this kid just got lucky, he got caught," said HHS student Lucy Madden.

While administration is not considering stationing metal detectors at the entrances to school and is not considering banning backpacks, rumors to the contrary were flying this week among students. Most students said those measures wouldn't stop the problem of school violence.

"If someone wants to bring a gun to school, metal detectors are not going to stop them, they're going to find a way." CHS student Katie Goodhart said.

Fight back

The harassment was daily, most every time Alyx Demers stepped into the halls between classes. At first the 17-year-old Capital High School student said, she tried to ignore it, then she confronted her bully and told her to stop.

The confrontation caused even more pressure and eventually the conflict exploded in the hall with a fight. It cost her a three-day, out-of-school suspension, but the fight ended the conflict and stopped the bullying. She said she realizes now that fighting isn't the answer, but at the time she didn't see any other way.

Just fight back -- it's a common perception shared among high school students. If you come out on top or your face is forced into the dirt, either way -- it doesn't matter.

"It shows that you'll fight back, so even if you lose, it's good because you stood up for yourself," said Troy Odegard, a Helena High School senior.

Go to a teacher? Sure, if you don't mind being called a wuss or a narc. Talk it out? Not on your life, students said.

"This is high school; it'll happen to you again if you tell a teacher," HHS student Lucy Madden said.

"You can't talk about it they'll just keep on making fun of you," said HHS senior Michael Cabana.

Administrators draw a hard line against fighting; the punishment is suspension. Students said the punishment is the same whether or not you were the victim of ongoing threats and harassment.

"It doesn't matter what your story is, you still get suspended, so you might as well give it all you've got," said Drew Nettleton.

Walk away

Conflicts often start early and follow children through their school careers. During her freshmen year, Whitney Hall, now a CHS senior, was involved in after-school sports conditioning, when a group of peers saw her enter the bathroom. They held the door when she tried to leave and blocked it with a garbage can.

Hall said she felt embarrassed and just waited in the bathroom. She wasn't surprised; Hall had an ongoing conflict with one member of the group dating back to the sixth grade.

When she finally pushed her way out, she said she calmly walked past the bullies with her chin up and went back to her workout. Still, the encounter isn't easily forgotten.

"You don't let them see that it's bothering you, because if they know it hurts you, they'll keep doing it," said Hall's classmate, Krista Purcell.

Walking away worked for Hall, but what works even better, students said, is when you have a close-knit circle of friends who will stick up for you and support you when you're being harassed.

Most students said bullying pressure eased once they developed strong friendships. They said the better they felt about themselves, the less they noticed hurtful comments and threats.

Teachers

A jab in the hallway that sets a student off course with books tumbling to the floor. A comment that nails that one character trait or physical flaw a child is most sensitive about. A lewd question that draws all attention to one person. An egged car, a vandalized locker, stolen clothes and school supplies.

Any child can tell you what bullying looks like in the halls of a middle school or high school.

An adult's most common response might be: "So where was the teacher?"

At Helena schools, teachers stand at the doorways of their rooms monitoring students as they pass during classes. And according to students, they do catch harassment in the hallways, and a teacher's usual response is "Hey watch your language."

Students said teachers rarely recognize the pattern that is the tell-tale sign of bullying, and that most incidents happen in bathrooms, locker rooms, parking lots and on buses.

Bullies are opportunistic, and students said they'll even strike when a teacher leaves the room to make copies or talk to another teacher.

"Sometimes the teachers are the bullies," said Ian McEwen, a HHS student. "Sometimes they make it seem like joking, but not all the kids take it as jokes."

"Sometimes they pretend they don't see it because they don't want to deal with it," said CHS junior, Jessica McCurry.

Change

Teachers admit they can't see everything, and they can't always identify harassment and bullying, but they said they're trying. With the support of administration, teachers are getting more training and learning how to support students who live with constant bullying.

"They're probably doing the best they can do, but they can't change the students," said Jake Thielan, an HHS student.

"I don't really think they have the authority to stop bullying," Madden added. "Adults are doing the best that they can, they really are, but it has to start with the students."

According to several students, bullying is founded in a lack of respect and a lack of understanding.

"You can't solve this problem by bringing in a speaker, yeah that will help, but this has to start with the students," Thielan added.

Kyle Ferris, a HHS student, said he'd like to see more opportunities for students to come together in small groups and get to know one another.

"At every class we're just bombarded with worksheets and everything else ... but what we need is to have a discussion, and just connect and understand one another," Ferris said.

The school policy that hits students with a suspension for fighting was, to many students, a lapse in judgment. They want students in conflict to have a chance to tell principals what underlying issues led to the fight.

"And administration needs to listen more," Ferris added. "They need to go to the students and listen to the students one on one."

Many of the students said to stop bullying in the schools, students need to stand up for one another.

"When I see bullying in the hallways I say something to the people who are doing the bullying," said Katie Goodhart, a CHS student. "And lots of times, the kids who are being bullied are grateful when you stand up for them."