The reason we tied it together is because (Hutchinson) went through such severe bullying, and we thought it would be good to help people who have been through it as well, or who are going through it.”

Jenna Weiffenbach, Girl Scott Troop 499

PORTSMOUTH — To most historians, Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) was one of the first women's rights activists, who defied the Puritan male leaders of her day despite knowing she’d be banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

To some people — but not all — she was the founder of the Town of Portsmouth, where she settled in 1638 following her conviction of hersey.

To members of local Girl Scout Troop 499, she was also something else: a victim of bullying.

A group of troop members made their case recently during a presentation at the Portsmouth Free Public Library. In a PowerPoint presentation and chat with audience members, they argued that bullying is not a recent phenomenon that’s limited to young people, but a scourge that’s been present all through history.

“The reason we tied it together is because (Hutchinson) went through such severe bullying, and we thought it would be good to help people who have been through it as well, or who are going through it,” said 11-year-old Jenna Weiffenbach, the daughter of troop leader Jennifer Weiffenbach. “I know it means a lot to some people, because they don’t think other people go through this. Some people are hurting a lot, and they don’t know how to handle it.”

Jenna was one of four troop members who presented the program, along with Abby Bryske, Kaelynne Nolette and Iza Poznanski. Gracie Ashman and Corinne Miller also worked on the project but could not attend the presentation, and former troop member Madison McKinney showed up to support the girls.

“This is to finish the journey for their Silver Award,” explained Ms. Weiffenbach. “That’s a very important award — one of the higher ones for Scouts. It’s called The Amaze Journey; it’s all about relationships. The girls wanted to do something significant, so they’ve been working on this for a long time.” 

The girls were already somewhat familiar with their topic, as the troop had already helped clean up Founders’ Brook, a small park off Boyds Lane that features a memorial to the 1638 Portsmouth Compact as well as a medicinal herb garden that’s dedicated to Hutchinson — she was a midwife who regularly used herbs for healing — and her friend, Mary Dyer.

“They’re all specifically planted, they’re all native plants and they all have healing abilities,” said Ms. Weiffenbach, noting the garden had been created by artist and herbalist Michael Steven Ford, who claims to be a descendant of both women.

“The girls were really great; they got the town to help move the sign from behind the elderberry tree, which is a sacred plant to the Irish people in particular,” she said.

Bullying through history

After that, the girls dove deeper into Hutchinson’s story and learned she was a victim of an affliction they see all around them today. Bullying was used against Hutchinson, they argued, in an attempt by the Puritan leaders to intimidate her through threats.

“She put up with a great deal of abuse because she was different and stood up to what the rules were at the time,” said Ms. Weiffenbach.

Their presentation also touched on other historical events in which the girls said bullying was involved, including Native American reservation camps with forced religious training, Japanese internment camps during World War II, and the women’s suffrage movement in the 1840s.

“I know now that bullying has been happening for so long. It needs to be dealt with,” said Jenna.

Their own stories

Afterward, the girls shared their own stories of bullying, both in and out of their schools.

“I’ve had a couple of rumors spread about me,” said Madison, 12. “In second grade, someone spread a rumor that I liked some boy. Every day I was going home, crying to my parents. But then this boy found out and he stood up for me.”

When she sees bullying at school, she said she tries to tell a teacher. Sometimes they won’t really listen,” said Madison. “They’ll try to do something, but …”

Kaelynne, 12, said reporting bullying to an adult can sometimes be tricky. “If you go to a principal or tell an adult, then (students) are going to call you a snitch and then it’s really going to hurt,” she said.

Social media, which didn’t exist in Anne Hutchinson’s day, also amplifies everything, said Madison.

“I feel that since we have more and more technology, everything you do and say is judged,” she said.

Jenna, who “immediately blocks” anyone who says something rude to her on social media, said the issue impacts more kids that we may ever know, because not everyone admits they’re a victim of bullying. She hopes that Troop 499’s program, which her mom said may be presented at other libraries in the future, can do its small part in helping her peers who have been bullied.

“I’m pretty sure that — not just in our town, but everywhere — a lot of kids go through this, and it’s sad,” she said. “I wish I could go everywhere at once and help everyone, but I can’t.”