On Friday Oct. 5, 2013, members of MYLC walked from Stamford High School to Greenwich High School, a whopping 6.5 mile walk. The walk was done in a three hour time period.
MYLC organized this walk to commemorate 15-year-old Greenwich High School sophomore, Bart Palosz and to show support for the Anti-bullying Club at Greenwich High. Palosz shot and killed himself on August 27, due to the bullying he was enduring in school. MYLC hopes to raise awareness on the matter of bullying and get everyone to take a stand against it.
Approximately 20 students from Stamford High School and two students from Brien McMahon’s equivalent to MYLC, CYL, participated in the walk. Stamford High School senior, Phederine Lyra, participated in the walk. Lyra is an executive member on the executive committee in MYLC. “It was a long walk, we all were tired, but it was fairly productive” Lyra said. “Driving there would take like 20 minutes, but walking there, it took like two hours. It shows how dedicated we are to doing this,” showing that the group truly does take the matter of bullying seriously.
“Hopefully it inspires people because Bart or anyone else should not feel the way that he did and people need to take a stand against bullying and fight for the ones who don’t have a voice I want people to realize that there are others out there in the world that care about the people who don’t have a voice. We have to stand up for everyone who gets bullied” Lyra said.
Jael Francois, a senior at Stamford High School and member of MYLC, said that, “If a group of kids can [take a stand against bullying], then imagine what more important people can do to get across the word that bullying should not be taken lightly.”
Members of MYLC expressed gratitude from the welcoming members of Greenwich High School’s Anti-bullying club, who presented MYLC with a banner that the club made themselves in order to thank the students for their journey. “We wanted to get people’s attention in Fairfield county” Francois commented. Lyra added, “Hopefully, [the walk] has an impact on other places than Southern Connecticut and Fairfield County.”
MYLC has also expressed interest in commemorating Asia Dunmore, a junior at Westhill High School, who committed suicide on Thursday Sept. 26, 2013.