Barker Road Middle School

Today I spoke at my home middle school, Barker Road.  6th, 7th and 8th grades joined me for assemblies to discuss my journey and how to work together to end bullying.  After my assembly I had the pleasure of meeting the Barker Blue Bandits, a student anti-bullying group, that I spoke with about the power that can come from a single voice.

Thank you to everyone for an incredible homecoming!!! (Pictures coming soon...once I recover my memory card!)

Many of you know the story of when I locked myself in my bathroom after being harassed online, threatening to burn my face rather than return to school. Mr. Wahl was the teacher my mom called in the middle of the night to talk me down, and was introducing me today for the assemblies. Who knows whether he remembers that odd call almost a decade ago, right? Surprise: he did. He shared the story with students to help them understand the connection I have with this issue. When he turned over the mic he hugged me in a way that felt blissfully familiar (8th grade, Annie Get Your Gun, beginning of Act II on my final performance night...remember, Mr. Wahl?) Every child deserves a Mr. Wahl in their life; an educator who enables a student to stand tall in the face of bullying by having already made them familiar with the depth of their value and potential as a member of this world. Thank you to every educator who has gone above and beyond by being a trusted adult to the students in your life.  You have no idea what kind of an impact you might have on the course of their future.