I was greatly affected by the news of yet another Mentor High School teen taking their own life due to excessive and insufferable bullying. I graduated from Mentor in 1990, and I’ve been angry for days at an administration that continues to allow students to be victimized. I could have spent time writing about my own struggles coming up through the Mentor School System, but I’ve decided to open letter that speaks directly to the students of MHS.
Dear Students
One would hope that a national mention of your school might be for something positive: a state sports championship, academic merits, or excellence in community service. But your school is now known nationally as a place where four teens have decided that death was a better option than to continue to suffer relentless bullying from their peers.
Of the many articles I’ve read, it seems like many of you have done your best to distance yourselves from the situation. Some claim to have not known this girl. Others have said they weren’t aware of a problem. Many claimed that they don’t want to be judged for the actions of a few.
Let me ask a question. What if one of your fellow students pulled out a gun and shot someone in the middle of the cafeteria, and then ran off? What would you do? Would you report the crime? Would you turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened? Would you be afraid to identify the student out of fear of being unpopular? Would you laugh at the victim? You wouldn’t think twice about. You would tell every teacher, school official, policeman, parent, reporter, and bystander anything and everything you saw. You witnessed a crime and therefore it is your civic duty to report it as such.
The simple fact is that you did see a student get killed. It may not have happened in front of you, but you were witness to what caused it. You turned a blind eye to it, and continued about your day. You said noting to anyone, and maintained whatever social status you cling to. You may have even laughed about the victim. You most likely see a crime being committed every day, perhaps multiple times a day. You continue to do nothing.
You are not innocent, and don’t pretend to be. Bullying is not a silent act. You are well aware of who the bullies are, and you are also aware of who the victims are. You are more than likely a victim yourself. Four students are dead. How many more need to die before you are brave enough to act?
Don’t kid yourself. This is going to follow you for a long time. Are you proud to list Mentor High School on your college admissions? Imagine listing it on a job application. How many years do you think it will be before people stop mentioning it? “Oh, you’re from that school where all the kids killed themselves.” Every time you open your yearbook, every reunion you attend, every story of the good old days you tell will have the cloud of this tragedy hanging over it.
Do something about it.
Stop being a coward. Take a chance and do something heroic next time you have the opportunity. If you see a student being victimized by others then you need to step in. It may one of the most difficult things you ever do, but I promise you the rewards will benefit you for a lifetime. You might be surprised who stands up next to you. The best defense against any negative force is strength in numbers. Be a community. Be remembered for something better than what history has written for you.
And finally, if you are actually one of those who is guilty of bullying, then I can say that I hope nothing but the worst for you in life. I hope the small amounts of empowerment you gained were worth the empty and shallow existence you have. You are and forever will be a criminal, and your future will treat you as such.
