“If I Could Have A Do-Over”
Mr. Halligan’s Presentation for Parents/Guardians
Mr. Halligan’s Presentation For Our Community
March 2017
Dear Parents/Guardians:
As you know, Rocky Run Middle School has been working on helping students understand the negative impact of bullying in our community. We are committed to taking serious, proactive steps to curb a problem that is found in every community. Our efforts this year have focused on raising awareness about bullying and cyber bullying with students and parents/guardians.
We have recruited Mr. John Halligan to conduct a presentation on Tuesday, April 25th for our students (we will modify our bell schedule on that day). He will relay his own tragic experience as a dad whose 13-year-old son took his own life in 2003, after incessant bullying by peers since the 5th grade, both in school and online. His story is riveting and powerful, and reminds students that there is a face, a person, a heart, on the other end of the computer screen.
His presentation will begin with a short video collection of home movie clips and still pictures of Ryan. Mr. Halligan will then begin to tell the story of Ryan and the factors that led up to his son’s suicide. The students will gain a perspective from inside a family of a child who is a victim of bullying and cyber bullying. They will also gain awareness about the signs and risk of teenage suicide and how best to help a friend. As part of Mr. Halligan’s presentation, students will have the chance to ask him questions. We encourage you to visit a website named for his son: www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org for more information.
Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, we wanted to inform you about it in advance. We encourage you to ask your child about the presentation and discuss it together. If for any reason, you would prefer that your child not attend this presentation, please contact your school counselor prior to April 20th. Should you have further questions, please feel free to contact your school counselor or your child’s grade level administrator.
Also, on April 24th at 7pm at Rocky Run Middle School, Mr. Halligan will have a presentation that will be geared for parents/guardians only. He will cover the lessons learned from this tragedy and also how to deal with bullying, cyberbullying, and teen depression. We look forward to seeing as many parents/guardians for the parent presentation.
Sincerely,
Young Hong
Director of Student Services