Everyone knows the name Brielle Thompson at Kennedy High School. She has been a person of great attention around the school. In her honor, our school held an anti-bullying assembly. Unfortunately, this assembly came too late to save Brielle from her pain.

Jason Kline, our principal, has come up with Kinder Kennedy in response to the suicide.

“I would like to think Kinder Kennedy will benefit the school, but I know there are still nasty things said by nasty people out there,” Lindsay Guffey, freshman, said.

Like I said, this assembly came too late for Brielle, but it did not come too late for others struggling with bullying, or the bullies themselves. We all have an opportunity to think. Think before you speak. Think before you laugh. Think before you judge.

The assembly won’t be what stops bullying. The assembly can only spark a desire in the students to work together and end it.

Suicide is the forth leading cause of death for ages 10-14. It is the third leading cause of death for ages 15-24. This statistic should frighten you. It should frighten everyone that suicide is in the top ten leading causes of death for teens. Teens who are bullied are twice as likely to commit suicide than those who aren’t.

“I would never be mean to anyone that said something negative to Brielle because they must have something going on in their life making it hard for them. I would ask them if I could help in any way or just talk to them,” Guffey said. She was a close friend of Brielle and was extremely saddened by the loss of her.

The assembly held at Kennedy was meant to bring bullying to the attention of the student body, and to make sure for the most part bullying is eliminated, and to get students to think positively about each other.

“No, I don’t think the assembly was beneficial to the students because bullying is still happening. In school, online, and everywhere else. It is still going on,” Guffey said. She understands the intent of it, but knows that it will take a lot more than just an assembly to end bullying.

It has been just over a month since Brielle’s passing. In her honor, let the school make bullying a thing of the past.