There’s an open house party tonight, and everyone’s going. When my friends and I walk in to the party, I meet Sarah, the girl hosting the party, for the first time. I introduce myself with a smile, and she greets me back with some small talk. Music blasts while laughs and screams echo throughout the basement. But the party takes a turn when half of the people storm up the stairs and out the front door. Not knowing what was going on, we instinctively follow, and make our way back to Bridget’s house.

“Have you guys read this?” Hannah asked in a quiet, scared voice.

She read the Yik Yak conversation out loud. 

The people from the party were bashing Sarah, and talking about how awful the party was. Sarah was texting Hannah because had seen the Yik Yak conversations. She was devastated, hurt, and embarrassed. Hannah was doing her best to cheer her up.

Where was this coming from? Everyone seemed to be having a blast. There were things said on Yik Yak that night that made my heart plummet.

That next week, Yik Yak was blocked at school. Administration encouraged kids to come to them for help with bullying problems, and Post-it Notes were on every locker with nice sayings to cheer people up and brighten their day--which often gave me a smile. My school has been making more of an effort to keep informed on the issues students face with bullying.

From positive messages on lockers, to white boards in the hallways to write positive messages on, and notes being sent to students around the holidays, my school is doing everything they can to put an end to students belittling others.

Contentment now overwhelms me when I walk into school at 7:30 a.m.; I now am welcomed with positive messages throughout the school instead of the tiredness and annoyance from the harsh comments, hurtful jokes, and horrible rumors that once went around my school on a daily basis.

Nothing happens overnight. It will take time to wipe bullying out, but my school is determined to make bullying permanently disappear.