This year the competition at the annual Lions Club Youth Speech Contest was stiffer than ever. Usually drawing good number of participants, this year six students signed up to tackle the question Respect: where has it gone? The winner of the contest is only the winner of that specific club. From there, the student goes on to compete against other local club winners in the zone competition, then the region competition, district competition, and if they make it that far, the final state competition. At that level the stakes are high, and a single winner will receive $1,500 in prize money.  According to the Massachusetts division of the Lions Club International, “Each District has between 30 and 60 clubs, each of which is permitted to conduct a local Lions Youth Speech Competition. During the 2011-2012 Lions year approximately 500 students from across the state participated in our competition.” As you can see, the Lions Club Speech contest is much larger than just the preliminary rounds held at our high school.

All grades except the tenth were represented at the contest on November 5, and this year was significant because it was first time that ninth graders had the option to participate. The seniors who spoke were past winner Emily Tiedtke, Annabelle Torres, and Lindsay Glover, while Angela Mirisola and myself were the junior participants. Ninth grader Sierra Little-Gill became the first freshman competitor.

I had a great experience doing the Lions Club speech last year, so I decided to partake in it again this year. I’m really glad I decided to do it, because it was very eye-opening to hear what everyone had to say about where they think respect is today. Lindsey and Annabelle emphasized their feminist beliefs and how they felt that today women aren’t respected so don’t respect themselves. Emily cited technology as the downfall of respect, and Angela voiced her opinion on how respect is not something people even take the time to consider in this day in age. Sierra impressed everyone by relating her opinion on respect to personal experiences, and stating she was hopeful that we could save our generation from allowing respect to disappear completely.

In the words of Roy Morell, organizer of the speech contest,  the event this year embodied “quality, not quantity.” As the judges tallied up the points, I truly had no idea of how the results would turn out, so I was shocked when they announced me as the winner! Sierra Little-Gill was the runner up, and all recipients received cash prizes at the generosity of the Hanover Lions Club. I am really excited to see what the next level of competition brings, and I always find it so interesting to hear about what other people my age have to say on the topic at hand. I strongly encourage anyone considering participating next year to go for it, and would also like to give a special thank you to Mr. Paquette and Mr. Barrett, who made the contest possible.

Suicide is not a sign of weakness. It is the absolute rock bottom a human can reach. The point where life itself is too much to bear and the only thing that can ease the burden is death. I used to think people who committed suicide were weak. That was the stupidest, most insensitive and immature thing that has ever crossed my mind.  A bruise will heal because it is physical and the body will repair itself. The mind does not heal as fast as the body when a spirit is crushed. It takes a long time to repair. We are sensitive creatures. Admitting this is the first step to growing up.

On Oct. 29, John Halligan visited Hanover High School to share the story of his son Ryan, who committed suicide in October 2003 at the age of 13. Ryan took his life, his father told the audience of students from grades 5-9, because he was harassed and humiliated by classmates in his Vermont middle school. Ryan also could not escape from bullying online.

After Ryan’s death, his parents helped pass an anti-bullying law in Vermont. John Halligan travels across the country to tell his story in the hopes of helping other students and families deal with and prevent bullying.

Ryan Halligan’s death is a tragedy to us but for his family it is a lifetime of regret and agony. They face day after day of sorrow and anger because some people couldn’t keep their mouths shut. Imagine losing a loved because he was abused to the brink not by punches, but words. Not very appealing, is it?

Bullying another human is not alright. In fact, that is weakness. If you’re stronger, smarter, faster, or better than another human, use those gifts to help them and not taunt them over their imperfections. No one is a perfect being, no one. We are all cracked, beaten, torn up, and scarred either physically or mentally from what we have lived with, some more than others.  But the scars, cracks, bumps and bruises are what make us, and to make fun of a person incessantly because of the things that make them who they are is truly vile.

If you see someone getting bullied (but I’m happy to say we have a fairly kind school all around), stop it. I don’t care how and I don’t think the person who is being bullied cares how, just put an end to it. Do not let your mind interfere, you should know it’s right to help so don’t think about the consequences. Bystanders who do nothing are almost as bad as the people doing the bullying.

If you are ever bullied yourself, talk to someone for help: a guidance counselor, a parent, a friend. Don’t give into the feelings of worthlessness that a bully tries, whether physically or emotionally, to beat into you. Hell, tell me I’ll see what I can do.

We have fleeting time on this planet. A second becomes an hour, an hour a week, a week a year. We don’t have much time.  Be kind to each other, make people laugh not at the expense of others, and just don’t be a punk.

To learn more about Ryan or his father’s presentations, visit http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/

One of the hallmarks of a “21st century curriculum” (a favorite buzzword of administration) is the idea of interacting with the outside world in the process of completing coursework. The internet is supposed to give rise to a new collaborative spirit in the halls right here at HHS. Mr. Molloy’s psychology class is taking that concept to a whole new level with their participation in the nationwide “Write It Forward” project. In a nutshell, “Write it Forward” is an extension of the common chain letter but with a twist. Students have to write a positive letter thanking someone for the impact they’ve made on their own lives. It’s supposed to be handwritten as writing something out by hand is supposed to be more heartfelt.

The twist is that the person who receives the letter is supposed to write a letter of their own to a person who has had a big impact on their lives. Thus it becomes a chain letter in a classic sense. Eventually, if the system works, the letter makes it backs to right where it started: Hanover High School. Mr. Molloy’s project has already received several returned letters and gotten a lot of positive feedback on the program!

As of right now, the project has been a great success. People from all 50 states have visited the class website (writeitforward.edublogs.org). Over 100 letters have been sent as a part of their efforts. For the latest news on this project you can follow them on Twitter @writeitforwardhhs. You can also email writeitforward@hanoverschools.org or see Mr. Molloy directly.