Imagine this, you walk into school on a beautiful early autumn day and you go to your first period class and are having a good time. Then you get the notification of an email popping up in your Inbox, you go to check it and it’s from a person that bullied you for a long time. You begin to read the email and he’s threatening you and saying he’s going to take away your happiness again, calling you inappropriate names and just plain bringing you down. As you’re reading you feel a tear drip down your cheek and realize you’re shaking and sobbing.

I didn’t have to imagine this, I lived it. I had been bullied for months by this guy, and he had actually succeeded in making me feel really bad. Then he came back for more this year, as I was starting my sophomore year. I was finally strong enough to tell someone. I took it straight to Dean of Students Greg Melvin and reported it as bullying and now people call me a snitch, two faced and other things that they thought would bring me down. But they weren’t able to.

I just let them think what they wanted to think because I knew that what I did was right. Being bullied had really just ruined me. It gave me anxiety and I got really depressed because the names he had been calling me were disgusting and foul words you should never say to someone.

Bullying is trying to bring somebody down with your words or actions and I see it a lot. Happening to many different people. Bullies choose people that can’t defend themselves, people that are already hurting. Bullies themselves are people that are hurting. They are hurting and they want other people to be hurting as well. Sometimes this is their way of reaching out for help but that isn’t an excuse to make other people feel like garbage.

I think something needs to be done for real this time about bullying. We need to unite as one and take a stand because it really is wrong. Did you know that there are around 4,400 people a year kill themselves because they are being bullied?

That is a very, very high number. Whenever I see someone being bullied I try to put myself between the victim and the bully or I’ll act like I know the person being bullied and I’ll ask them I they can walk me to class or something to get them away from the situation.

You should report bullying to Melvin or one of the security guards immediately. Another thing is to say that simple four letter word: STOP.

Say it firm and loud. Be assertive about it but not aggressive. If you’re the one being bullied use an “I statement.”  Explain is where you say how you’re feeling or how it’s affecting you in an assertive, calm and respectful way. An example of an “I statement” would be something like “I really don’t like it when you do that. It really hurts me,” you’re explaining how you feel without escalating the situation. Always report it though; then something can be done about it.