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Middle School Assembly · Grades 5–8 · 40–45 Minutes
By seventh grade they’ve heard the bullying assembly. This is the one they actually listen to.
- Grades 5–8
- 40–45 minutes
- I bring everything
Twenty real ways to handle bullying — wrapped in magic strong enough to hold a gym full of thirteen-year-olds, and not one moment that sounds like a lecture.
Check my dates See what happens in the room
Or call me directly — (716) 940-8963. That’s my cell.
The problem
A middle school gym is a different room.
You already know this. It’s why booking an assembly for grades 5–8 makes you nervous in a way that booking one for second graders never does.
Elementary kids give a presenter the benefit of the doubt. Middle schoolers do not. They arrive having already decided this is going to be babyish, and they are watching for the first piece of evidence that they were right. A cartoon voice. A prop that looks like it came from a toy store. One line delivered like they’re seven.
And here’s the harder part: they have heard the bullying talk before. Most of them have sat through some version of it every year since kindergarten. By eleven they can recite it. The moment it starts sounding familiar, they check out — and once a middle school audience checks out, you do not get them back.
So the job isn’t to tell them bullying is bad. They know. The job is to say something they haven’t already heard, in a way they didn’t see coming.
That’s what this program is built to do. It’s pitched at them, not down to them. And it earns the room in the first ninety seconds, before anyone has a chance to decide it’s going to be lame.
What happens
What happens in the room
“The Right Choice” runs 40–45 minutes and never stops moving. The magic isn’t decoration around the message — each piece is the message, which is why the lessons stick after the gym empties out.
- A borrowed dollar from the audience turns into a five — and gets given away
- One of your own teachers reads a student’s mind, in front of everyone
- A “danger” game with one student builds to a surprise nobody sees coming
- I use empathy to step inside one student’s head and redraw the picture they’re only thinking of
- A snake springs out of a basket to open up the different forms bullying takes — and no, it’s not a real one
The whole audience is involved, and about a dozen students end up on their feet in front of the room. Nobody gets embarrassed. That matters more at this age than at any other.
Middle schoolers will forgive almost anything except being talked down to.
Grades 5–8 · 40–45 minutes · squeaky clean, every word of it
The content
What they walk out with
Every one of these is built into the show itself, not tacked on at the end as a moral.
Twenty ways to handle it
Not “tell an adult” and nothing else. Twenty actual, usable responses — because the one that works depends entirely on the situation.
What bullying actually is
The forms that don’t look like bullying and therefore never get reported. This is the part that surprises them.
Empathy, defined
Not as a poster word. As something they feel happen to them during the show.
Respect goes both directions
You have to give it to get it — a genuinely new idea to a fair number of thirteen-year-olds.
Different is the point
How we’re all the same and all different, and why the second half is the good news.
Why speaking up isn’t snitching
The single hardest thing to sell a middle schooler, and the one most worth the effort.
If your building is K–8
One visit. Two shows. The whole building.
A K–8 building doesn’t have to choose which half of the school gets the assembly, and doesn’t have to bring me back twice. I run back-to-back shows in the same visit — each one written for its own age group, not the same show delivered louder.
Grades K–4
No Bully Zone
The elementary program — same values, pitched for the little ones.
Grades 5–8
The Right Choice
This program — written for students who’ve heard it all before.
Booking both together costs a lot less than booking two separate visits, because it’s one drive and one setup. Most K–8 buildings take this option once they know it exists. Ask me for the two-show number when you get in touch.
Middle school building only? Then “The Right Choice” books perfectly happily on its own. · See the elementary version →
Get the details
Send me your dates and I’ll send you everything.
Fill this in and I’ll email you the full program information for “The Right Choice” — and for “No Bully Zone” too, if you’re a K–8 building. I answer these myself, usually the same day.
What lands in your inbox
- The full program outline for “The Right Choice,” grades 5–8
- The twenty strategies students actually walk out using
- How the day runs — I arrive, set up, and I’m gone before the buses
- A quote for your building, based on your date and where you are
- The K–8 two-show day, if you want the whole school covered in one visit
Enough to print, forward, and walk into your next committee meeting.
Would rather just talk it through? Call or text (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell phone.
Proof
What schools say about Cris Johnson’s assemblies
Middle schools and high schools first. The rest are from assemblies across grade levels — central schools, K–8 buildings and elementary.
“Cris is really great with the kids… He is both entertaining and informative. We have had him two years in a row and the kids really enjoy Cris’ programs. Outstanding!”
Carm ProctorPrincipal
Jefferson Middle School, Jamestown, NY
“Both of the anti-bullying school assembly programs were awesome! The students were engaged and entertained. The message presented was very age appropriate for each assembly. My favorite part was when you had the four eighth grade boys up on stage and pulled the chairs out from under them. I never thought you could pull that one off! I would be more than happy to recommend you to any school looking for an anti-bullying assembly.”
Carol Donachy, NCC
St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, NJ
“Thank you for coming to Chittenango Middle School again this year! Our 5th graders truly enjoyed your assembly! Your commitment to helping students understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, through the use of magic tricks, makes a strong impact. Your show is entertaining, educational and fun! Thank you for what you do.”
Chris ChandlerSchool Counselor
Chittenango Middle School, Chittenango, NY
“Great control of the audience with an appropriate message!”
Dan BraceyPrincipal
Washington Middle School, Jamestown, NY
“It was totally entertaining and fun to watch. The kids were really involved and they loved it. It was really fun to see their personalities come out and their creativity. I would LOVE to recommend this program to other schools.”
Liz BannerTeacher
Brockport High School, Brockport, NY
“Your messages and magic tricks were appropriate for all and played to all grade levels. I saw just as many fifth graders amazed by the magic and jumping out of their sitting positions to volunteer as I did kindergarten and first graders. Students came away understanding what it means to be a ‘HERO’ and how they can help those being bullied.”
Thomas LanzaSupervisor of Instruction
Cedar Grove School, Toms River Regional Schools, NJ
“Outstanding! Very entertaining… great idea to relate the message with personal experiences! Great message!”
Ms. Kelly KotlikTeacher
North Tonawanda Catholic School, North Tonawanda, NY
“It was phenomenal.”
Scott MoorerPrincipal
Chestnut Intermediate School, North Olmsted, OH
“Excellent.”
Holly BrinkClass Advisor
Sherman Central School, Sherman, NY
“Cris did a great job with our assemblies! His presentation was developmentally appropriate and his message was delivered in a fun way. Outstanding message!”
Bonnie SmithPrincipal
West Valley Central School, West Valley, NY
“Wellness Day was a huge success and we are so grateful for your part in it. From the opening session through the afternoon groups our students were involved and in tune with the objectives of the day. We received a lot of positives in response to your involvement. Thank you for sharing your talents and for your interest and support of the youth of today.”
Linda HathawayWellness Committee
Geneseo Central School District, Geneseo, NY
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Easy to host
I make this the easiest thing on your calendar.
- I bring everything. Professional sound system included, at no extra charge, however big your gym is.
- Your space is fine. Gym, cafeteria, auditorium, cafetorium, stage or floor level — I’ve worked in all of them.
- Fast set-up, and I work around your bell schedule rather than the other way around.
- Fully insured, and I’ll send a certificate before the date if your district needs one.
- Follow-up materials for teachers so the conversation keeps going after the assembly.
- I hit 45 minutes. Schools plan around that number, so I treat it as a promise.
The no-risk part
If your students aren’t amazed, you don’t pay — and I donate $500 to your PTA or PTO.
In over 20 years of full-time performing, not one school has ever taken me up on it.
Book it
The good dates go early.
October is bullying prevention month and it fills first — usually before the school year has properly started. The schools that get their first-choice date are the ones that reach out in the spring or over the summer.
Call or text me at (716) 940-8963 — that’s my cell phone — or email [email protected]. You’ll be talking to me, not an agency.
Middle School Anti-Bullying Assemblies for Grades 5–8 in the Northeast
Older students see through a lecture in seconds, so this program meets grades 5–8 with real talk on respect and empathy wrapped in a show they actually want to watch. Middle schools across New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey rely on it to start honest conversations that last past the gym doors. Book a date that fits your school year.