OHS had the honor to welcome guest speaker Tina Meier on Friday Jan. 18, for an assembly over bullying and being responsible on the internet.

Mrs. Meier spoke for nearly an hour and a half about the dangers of cyberbullying and telling her own story of her daughter Megan, who committed suicide in 2006 after being bullied online. It was a riveting assembly and it was eye opening for many that were there. It was different for many students hearing it from someone that had been directly affected by such a tragedy, instead of their own parents or a teacher.

“I do this to get kids to realize that the things they say to others can hurt and destroy peoples lives,” Meier said.

Mrs. Meier stressed the importance of not ignoring bullying and making sure the right measures are taken to stop the act. She discussed how she had ignored her daughters complaints of bullying early in her life and she regrets that today. The story about Megan hit home to many students that have been through bullying or even been a bully themselves. Many students stayed after the assembly to thank her for coming or even just to give her a hug.

“I do this not for publicity and for people to feel bad for be, but to try to help others and make people understand the dangers of bullying,” Meier said.

The timing of the assembly came at an ironic time as well with the new MTV show Catfish and the Manti Te’o story being similar to the story of Megan’s, and that just made what Mrs. Meier said a little more powerful.