It should go without saying that bullying has no place in society. Not now, not ever, and those of us unfortunate enough to encounter it in the work place, at school, or at home, should do our utmost to root it out.

That can be easier said than done, of course, which tends to be why stopping bullies as early as possible is so vitally important.

Children who bully other kids often do so because they themselves have insecurities and doubts. Teaching them the errors of their ways can steer them onto the right path before it’s too late, perhaps preventing the abhorrent trait of bullying from following them into adulthood.

In any case, I think those who stand up to bullies – or at least intervene when and where they see someone being picked up or intimidated – deserve respect.

It takes courage to face down an individual intent on making someone’s life a misery; most people, sadly, are more inclined to turn their backs and pretend there’s nothing happening at all.

Fortunately, three teenagers at Lincoln Middle School, Wisconsin a few years back knew the difference between right and wrong, and stepped in when it mattered most to save the day for a young girl who was evidently struggling.

Scooter Terrien, Chase Vasquez and Miles Rodriguez might look like your average teenagers, but when they moved to prevent a group of bullies heckling cheerleader Desiree Andrews, they showed they were made of special stuff.

Desiree has Down syndrome, and though words sometimes failed her, she was never afraid to let her dancing and music do the talking. As per reports, her duties on the cheerleading team included cheering on the sports teams whenever they took the field, though on at least one occasion, she attracted the negative attention of a group who thought it would be funny to belittle her.

It just so happens that Desiree is a friend of the aforementioned Scooter, Chase and Miles, and they’ll do anything to protect her from bullies. That’s why when they saw bullies heckling Desiree during a time out, they developed a game plan that was both smart and powerful.

“We looked at for a while, to see if we were seeing it correctly,” Scooter explained.

When they realised the truth was precisely what they assumed, the boys knew they had to act. They left the bench during the time out and approached the bullies.

With the whole school watching, they took a stand for Desiree when she needed it most.

The bullies were quickly taught a lesson. It might have been a small gesture, but it was enough to have a lasting effect on both Desiree and her father, who couldn’t have been more thankful.

Fighting back the tears, Desiree’s dad said: “I just wanted to let them know, as a father how much I appreciated it.”

See more on the boys and their bravery below: