Beautiful Anti-Bullying Song, Written by a Student, Is Taking Over East Brunswick

Kathleen Lonski thought that her school’s anti-bullying campaign left out a big piece of the picture. Though the school was trying to stop bullying, she didn’t see any support for victims of bullying. Though she hadn’t directly experienced bullying herself, she saw a need for advice and empathy for her classmates. With her insightful look at the problem, her creative approach to a solution was fitting. She picked up her guitar, applied lessons from her after-school music composition club, and wrote a song. With “Don’t Let Them In,” she has rallied the school district and the whole community. Almost every school in her East Brunswick school district has played the song, and she performed the song at the East Brunswick Performing Arts Center to a standing ovation. Building on the success, she’s recording a demo album, hoping her message will continue to spread in support of victims of bullying.

 

Walking 921 Miles and Placing 921 Ribbons to Stop Bullying and Celebrate a Life

Ronnie Kroell and Elliot Dal Pra London don’t just take a stand against bullying, they take a walk—a 921-mile walk from Chicago to New York City. They’ve brought the purple anti-bullying ribbon through Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other cities on their way to the George Washington Bridge, where Tyler Clementi committed suicide in 2010. Clementi’s death inspired the Friend Movement, which has worked to use art and media to stop bullying. This particular effort has drawn funds for their cause and certainly grabbed attention as they placed 921 ribbons along the path, one at each mile. The emotional side really emerged with Clementi’s mother Jane and brother James joining the walk for its final mile over the bridge; they were met by dozens of supporters with purple ribbons and flowers.