Brace face, four eyes, jock, drama nerd…kids dish out and internalize a lot of criticism. But a group of sixth graders at Old Hammondtown School is taking a stand and telling younger students to “Be Yourself.”

That’s the title of the first episode in “Elementary Advice.”

Corinne Robert, Chloe Gomes, Caitlin Collier, Reagan Rock, Ava Barrows, Jillian LeBlanc and Makenna Servais thought up the idea for the video series during one of their Tuesday lunches with teacher Laura Mirabito.

Each girl has dealt with negative self-image and criticism from peers, and they wanted to help younger students make good decisions.

“You can’t be someone that you’re not,” said Gomes.

In their initial video, filmed with ORCTV Asst. Director Gary Lawrence, four of the girls plus Mirabito spoke in front of the camera about their struggles.

Those upper elementary schools years are a time when girls shoot up but boys haven’t quite hit their growth spurt, math lessons on the board start to get fuzzy and the orthodontist begins to notice your overbite. The girls of “Elementary Advice” want to address those issues and more.

“It only matters what you like. Be yourself. You don’t need other people’s validation,” said Collier, who spoke about the pressures of picking out clothes every day.

Said Rock, “It doesn’t matter what you wear. We’re all different and we should all embrace that.

Gomes admitted she does think about how people will react to her outfits.

“I’ve been cautious,” she said. “I don’t want kids to make fun of me.”

Beyond braces, the kids also had a practical discussion of braces. Robert, who has a mouthful of them, said there’s no reason to feel self-conscious.

“If it’s going to help your teeth, go for it,” she said.

The bespectacled Gomes said her brother sometimes calls her four eyes (she returns the compliment), and she doesn’t think anyone should be ashamed of glasses or braces.

“Glasses and braces are fixing things that need to be fixed, for your health,” she said.

Mirabito is encouraging the kids to have a positive view of themselves as someone who has had some of the same struggles. The sixth grade teacher said she would slouch as a kid because she was taller than her peers, and she sees now how her students are affected by their own negative internal monologues.

“One little comment affects you. It stays with you,” she said.

Her advice for students is to start focusing on the things they like about themselves and to stop trying to achieve an impossible goal.

“The image you’re aspiring for doesn’t exist,” she said. “You have to be comfortable in your own skin.”

The kids aren’t able to completely ignore pressure from peers to be thinner, more popular and wear the right brands, but they are on the right track and they want other kids to embrace their individuality.

The creation of the show itself is a way to reinforce the video’s positive message.

For example, Barrows said she prefers to stay behind the camera, plus she has editing experience.

“I’m just not an on camera type of person,” she said.

Of course, her fellow crewmates are perfectly OK with that.

Said Rock, “The world would be boring if it was the same thing over and over and over.”

The first episode is still in post production but will be shared with students. The group is taking suggestions for topics to be featured in future episodes. Email Luara Mirabito at lauramirabito@oldrochester.org.