Through the overactive imagination of a fifth-grader named Alexander, a knight with a backpack for a shield and an umbrella for a sword, Ballard students learned that bullying, and allowing bullying, is not right.

On May 15, the Road Company of Greenwood's Taproot Theatre performed "Alexander and the Dragon" for the students at North Beach Elementary.

The play is based on curriculum on bullying prevention developed by the Committee for Children, a Seattle-based non-profit organization.

It follows Alexander, a fifth-grader who likes to pretend he is a knight. On the first day of school, he watches as his friend bullies another student. Alexander is stripped of his knighthood for not doing anything about the bullying and must find a way to earn it back.

"Alexander and the Dragon" is fun and entertaining, but the Committee for Chilrden curriculum makes it effective, Road Company member Soloman Davis said.

After every performance, the company members have a dialogue about the performance with the children.

"Some students just want to know how we change costumes," Davis said. "But, some want to know what to do about problems with specific bullies."

The Road Company has performed "Alexander and the Dragon" more than 70 times and does approximately 250 educational performances per year, Davis said.