A Powerful Lesson

[Guest guest]

A Powerful Lesson

San Ramon Valley High School

At a San Ramon Valley High School assembly, Halligan, a father who lost his

son to bullying, shared his son's story and how he dealt with his son's death.

Just three days into the new school year, freshmen and sophomore San Ramon

Valley High students listened to Halligan during a moving assembly where he

spoke about losing his son, , to bullying.

San Ramon's Safe School Ambassadors, a group of students who are dedicated to

keeping the school a bullying and harassment-free zone, sponsored this assembly

in hopes of opening the underclassmen's eyes to the harsh consequences of

bullying.

" I think it was a really good idea for the assembly to only be shown to the

freshmen and sophomores because the younger students are still at that stage

where they don't realize how much their actions can affect others, " said Jasmine

Dhaliwal, a senior at the high school and Safe School Ambassador. " The purpose

of the presentation was to teach students about the seriousness of bullying and

I feel like Mr. Halligan definitely did a great job of meeting that goal. "

Halligan began the assembly with a slideshow including pictures and video of his

son. As the crowd settled and began to watch, it was hard not to be impacted.

Halligan's voice cracked with anger and sorrow as he spoke of 's life.

His son was born with learning and developmental disabilities and he was in

special education until he reached middle school.

Halligan and his wife were grateful that would have one less thing to worry

about in his middle school years—but they were wrong. was subjected to

constant bullying, mainly from one boy in particular. The teasing continued and

rumors were spread until on October 7, 2003, decided he couldn't take it

anymore and committed suicide.

In the words of Halligan, " The worst pain for any parent to feel is to lose a

child. "

Halligan's words really hit hard for me. It made me really start to think about

how every little thing that you do could be affecting someone around you that

you may not even know about. I also felt angry thinking about how kids

relentlessly tease someone without considering the consequences.

After telling his son's story, Halligan described what he did after his son's

death. He confronted the bullies, talking to the administrators at 's

school, all after uncovering facts from 's computer and old yearbook. He

also spearheaded the Vermont Bully Prevention bill which was signed into law in

May 2004, only a few months after 's death.

He has since spoken at high schools and on TV and radio telling his son's story.

Halligan said he believes that if he can impact one person's life and make them

change their ways, it is worth it.

" I think the students got a really big wake-up call from Mr. Halligan and his

story. " said Minari Karunatilake, a junior at the school and also a Safe School

Ambassador.

Mr. Halligan left the students with these final words, " Don't be a bystander. If

you look on and watch someone be bullied, you might as well be doing it

yourself. You have the power to change what happens to all of the people around

you. "

For more information about bullying and to read more about 's story, visit

this website dedicated to him. http://ryanpatrickhalligan.org/