Kyras

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10778296

http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_10779361

^This makes me sad. A 14 year-old boy shot himself in the head, in the bathroom, at Vasquez High School. That's where my daughter went. The story says he was picked on and that his own dad wasn't aware of it. I'm surprised and sad. I always thought Acton kids were kinder than that, being that it's such a small town with a small school district and that most kids know each other.


I sent this link to my daughter, Christa, (graduated 2005) and this was her reply:
I heard about that, so sad At least he didn't shoot the kids who bullied him. Hopefully their punishment is their guilt they'll feel forever.

Lainey

Very sad, Patty.

It really, really is hard to be a teen, especially if you are just a bit different than others.

mikegarrison

Not likely, but possible. 14-yr-olds can barely really comprehend that the other people in the world are just as real as they are.

Kyras

I just found the second article I added. It says that kids pulled down his pants in the hallways. There aren't any hallways at Vasquez. It's an entirely portable-building school. The town voted against a high school construction bond three years in a row, when I lived there. That's why Kyle went to private school, 20 miles away instead.

In any case, I'm sure Acton is bummed over this. I know I am.

Kyras

I tend to think Christa is right. Like I said, it's a small town and a small high school (I think there were 300-350 students when Christa was there, for 9th to 12th grade.) The guys (I assume) who picked on him will know they had something to do with it.

Lainey

I think they will feel badly about any part they had in picking on the kid, but at this age, that guilt won't last long.

valentine

gomarlins3

That is sad, but I can tell you after working in small school districts for over 17 years that there are bullies everywhere. It only takes one person to make a few comments to make a REALLY bad impression on another.

Kyras

I talked to Jerry about this and he said a kid hanged himself when he was in school. That clicked in me that this was a suicide. Suicide. It's very sad, but it's not the same as being murdered.

I just rememebered too, that in Jr. High and High School, I was considered nerdy by some. There was a group of mean girls who pulled down my pants in the girls locker room in Jr. High, and one of them was mean to me in High School too. I never did understand why she even noticed me enough to pick on me. I tried to be invisible as I was painfully shy and unhappy.

I really was bawling over this kid, yesterday, but I realize now that the kid took his own life. I am sad about that but he didn't have to go that way. It sounds like some kids picked on him but others were nice to him. This took everyone by surprise, including his own father.

valentine

I was very quiet and probably nerdy in hs as well, but no one really picked on me in high school. As a matter of fact, they all wanted my help with their school work . I did know kids who were picked on and it to see bullies at work. I think the situation with bullying is much worse now than it was when we were younger and each generation seems to exhibit worsening problems with bullying. We now hear of cyber bullying where jerks intimidate others on the internet. It is very, very sad but there will never be an end to those who feel the need to hurt other people in order to hide their own insecurities. I grieve for those who are wounded by these jerks.