Crisis Cards at HHS

Why are you here? Can you just leave? Go away! Just go die? Put yourself in this person's shoes. Imagine these hurtful comments being thrown at you. It seems like all fun and games. When a victim reacts, they are considered, sensitive, or overly dramatic. People do not truly understand the catastrophic effects of bullying. Close to 800,000 people die from suicide every year, which is a person every 40 seconds. A large percentage of that is because kids/teens were getting bullied, they became severely depressed. Eventually, they just could not take it anymore. Bullying is one of the leading causes of suicide in our country. Bullying is an epidemic among teenagers. Back when our parents were in school, bullying happened face to face. A bully only had a few ways to bully a person. New technology has completely changed this for children today. Bullying today does not look the same as it did back then. There are so many more avenues available to bullies through social media and other technological outlets which can lead to cyberbullying. People do not have to be face-to-face with a bully to be attacked anymore. Bullies can hide behind a screen, sneaking and putting people down with the inability to be easily caught. With the screen in front of a bully, there is no person there to react to what is said. It removes the humanity from the bullying and makes it easier to say mean things. While our school strives to prevent bullying, staff and administration cannot catch every instance of it. If you find yourself being bullied or having negative thoughts, please reach out to a parent, peer leader, teacher, or other school staff. There is a new program being rolled out for students at Holyoke Jr./Sr. High School.

There are three black boxes around the school with cards you can fill out and put in the box if you need help. The boxes are checked daily and someone will be there for you. If you don't feel safe talking to an authority figure, you can always call or text Colorado Crisis Services. Their number is 844-493-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 38255.