Ryan's story

                                     Thank you for sharing your story with the students who came to CCHS. The story really touced mine and a bunch of other peoples hearts. I'm really sorry about Ryan.  He seemed like a really nice person to get to know. I'm really sorry!!!

~Dear Mr.Halligan ,

     I so terribly sorry about Ryan I wish that he would of told you that he was being bothered because you help so many other times the story  made me cry I cryed 2 times and it was so touching .  And my family and friends were so happy but sad , happy because there happy you could have made it and sad well because of sadly he died and at least with God and his angels and

       I am so sorry! You cam to BMS a couple days ago and I saw almost everyone crying and tearing up! I was tearing up too! Ms.Erlanger was holding your hand during the video! LOL. Once again I am so sorry!  I would have done he same thing to the bully if I were you!

Im so sorry for your lost..You came to CCHS yesterday and i was there.When you told ur story i was so sad.I saw all the people crying and i saw that u can really touch people.You also touched me!As soon as i went home i told my mom almost EVERYTHING you told me.Im hopeing soon you will feel better and keep visiting schools around America.

that is sad that bullying has gotten that far im very sorry for your loss 

Hello Mr, Halligan you came to Carrol County High School and i am so moved by your speech because i've been bullied in the past couple years and I probably know half of what Ryan felt. And I am so sorry words can't explain how sorry I am and I think of you and your wife the great people in this crazy world.

Jenna

Your speech will affect my life forever. I heard u speek today(Nov. 5 2009) and as alot of ppl did... i cried. I wouldnt necessaraly classify myself as a bully but i know that i havnt been the nicest person and i have said some mean things. But now i think of you and your family everytime something happens. I cant imagine what u have went through. I respect you very greatfully and i hope everyone considers that also. It makes me cry when i think about if  i was the cause of something this horrific.  I attend Woodlawn Middle(intermediate) School. I am a 6th grader and i completely understand how hard it is for him. I am going to try my hardest to change myself. I know i'm not a bully and i pray for whom is. I will pray for you and keep you into my thoughts.  You are my hero... you're very couragous and brave. I understand Ashleys pain and defenatly yours.  God Bless You.

sorry i really cant imagine wat u went thro i want to pray for u over and over now that really touched my heart but i cryed becuz u were so brave and strong to get up there and tell that story i live aa sad life but not one like that i live a life with no day he seves in the military and i never get to c him but that is nothing like this i am so so so srry for your loss and i can never think i can go thro somthing like that but if u ever want to get in touch with me u have my email adress  i wll email u my self and i will always stick with ure advice and agian i am so srry if u wnt my life story i will take time to tell u my life i can never go a day without crying wen i go to bed cuz i worry about my dad my stepmom and my half sisters i always think wat they have to go thro to live at a war i think u understand wat i mean and i go to woodlawn intermediate school my name is mikaela dyer and i want to email u and talk to u perssanly ty agian and i dont want u to think u hurt my fellings but i kinda did cry wen u mentioned alot of things  so im sorry i will email u l8er goodby and u set the best role paly i could ever imagine then agian i dont wnt to get off of here but i have to go so ba by by i love u like a second dad

I heard your story today and i was so touch by that story. I could not feel what you went though about your son. I though it was very very bad what they did I wished the girl did not do that and that bully to. So Im very sorry about your son and what did. 

hi iam katie from gladevill school in 5th grade  i heard your speach and i couldnt imagin what you went through i would have cryed my eyes out.

Hey My name is Hannah and im in 6th grade at woodlawn you came to my school today and you really touched me.

     I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss. It's terrible that you and your family had to go through that. It's hard to believe that bullying has gotten that bad. Parents sometimes don't realize what's going on at schools today, bullying is very terrible. Thank you very much for sharing your story with everyone. You have helped many parents with bullying. You are in our prayers! God Bless and Thank You For Everything You D

Olivia

hi my name is morgan I am a 5th grade student at Hillsville Elementry School.I heard Ryan's story today,it was very touching.I have never really been bullied,been a bully, but I have been a bystander.When we came back from the High School, I just couldn't stop thinking about Ryan's story.In almost all my classes the rest of the day we talked about bullying.In one of my classes are teacher told us to write only a little bit,I ended up writing a whole paper.I also decided to end the bystader thing, I told a teacher about someone who dosn't have alot and is being bullied alot by someone else.My heart goes out to you and you're family, Mr.Halligan.Ryan must have been an amazing boy.I'm so sorry for you're loss, he will be rememberd forever.   

I would first like to say my heart goes out to your family. I have a daughter that suffered from depression in middle school.  I thought she was just going thru "that teenage stuff" until I seen she had been cutting herself. Luckily she recieved the help she needed and has turned into a wonderful young woman. Your story hit close to home because she and Ryan would be the same age. You spoke at CCHS today and my two sons age 11 and 12 came home and Ryans story is all they have talked about. What you are doing is heroic. I really think you made my boys  see something they havent thought about before. The affect that spreading one rumor could have such a terrible effect on a person. You and your family will always be in my thoughts. Thank you again for shining a light on so many young people that they may open there eyes to how hurtful this can be.

My daughter came home telling me about hearing you speak today and told of the website.  I decided to have a look at it and see what was talked about.  What an amazing person you are!  To go through what you did and be able to speak about it over and over takes strength.  I truly believe that this world needs someone to tell them what bullying can do to people.  It needs to be stopped.  It sounds like your son was an amazing person but struggled with what so many young people struggle with today.  I pray that my kids will never bully anyone and always think of others feelings.  Your family will always be in my prayers.  Just know that your son is proud of you for what you do.  God Bless!!

Well, I'll start off with Dear Mr. Halligan.

My name is Kelsey. You actually spoke at my school on 9/25/09, I signed this guest book on 9/28/09. I was looking at my internet history, and saw this site. I decided to come back and read a few signings. I searched for mine, and found it about 13 pages later. I reread my last signing and realized that I forgot to say so much.

I can still take myself back to the day of your speech. I walked in and thought "great, another speech about nonsense" You started talking, and I was finally starting to pay attention, silencing the chatter of my friends. When you played the video, I immediately knew what was going to be talked about, and started crying. The rest of your speech is forever sewn in my mind. I felt so horrible about your loss, and wanted so deeply to just reach out and tell you that I'm here whenever, if you ever need anything. I realize now that Ryan died in 2003, and there's not much else to do in helping you cope. I hope that when I die many years from now, I can know that your speech helped change the world. I immediately after your speech realized that bullying is one of the most serious issues in America.

Still to this day, I have friends that talk about others behind their backs, and they talk about people to me. I tell them that they have their own opinions and need to learn how to keep them to their selves. Even if you say one thing to a single person because you trust that they'll keep it to themselves, there's always the surrounding people that overhear. They tell someone, and as soon as you turn around, there's a million versions of one thing you said. Ryan told one person about his visit to the doctor. That one person decided to twist his words, and anyone can do that.

Now it's time for me to let everyone know that although I'm only a freshman in High School, I have "children" of my own. I love my eight younger siblings as if they were my own. During the speech, all I thought about was that happening to any one of them. I have to brothers that are still only toddlers. I help raise them practically, so I'm definitely going to remind them everyday that if there's something going on, they need to tell me so that I can resolve it.

The next point is that some victims go for help, but can't find it. The thing to always remember is: If one person doesn't believe you or do anything, keep telling. Don't give up until something is done. If you tell someone tha you're being bullied, and they say it's just a phase, or the way children are, don't listen. Bullying is never to be taken lightly.

I was bullied all throughout my elementary years. It's actually a tad ironic because I was always called fat. I thought about just committing suicide, then they could bury me skinny. Now, I figure that I maybe AM fat, but everyone says that I'm not. There was one boy named Chris who would call me fat everyday, and now he's one of the chubbiest boys in our grade. I moved school since the bullying, and it still continued. I got made fun of because I had warts all over my hands. They wouldn't disappear, and I tried everything. Over my seventh grade summer, they completely disappeared, and kids would still try to say I had warts. Well, I felt so alienated from the world because no one would even want to be around me, afraid they'd get warts. I figured that I'd stop the "epidemic" everyone seemed to think I started, and just end my life. I've had many thoughts about suicide. I many times think that I'm not loved or needed, I just recently had a person answer a question on a facebook application. The question was "If you had never met Kelsey Kuberski, how would your life be differnet?" The oerson answered "it would be better" That really hurt me and had me in tears because I felt that I'm ruining people's lives, when all I do is try to make life better for everyone.

Well, it shames me to see that people still don't think about what they say. Words hurt, words hurt more than physical pain. When my mom yells at me and says things that hurt me, I wish that she would just punch me in the face and walk away instead of hurting me worse. My parents sometimes say things that make me think that the don't love me or want me, and I don't think that they realize how badly it affects me.

I don't think that I will ever commit suicide, because I always have that thought in the back of my head that thinks "The people who WILL miss me, they'll be hurt. My death will only cause pain and guilt" That thought overpowers everything. I guess that if my being on Earth bothers some people, they'll have to deal with it like I have to deal with knowing that I'm unwanted and unwelcome.

I'm only fourteen years of age, although you might not think so after reading all of note. I hope that you take the time out of your busy day to read it, and if you do so, thank you so much. I appreciate everything you did, do, and will do. I also appreciate everything you represent and the positive messages you send out to our teenage nation. If it's okay with you, I think that sometime I'd like to help spread your story. I know that I can't explain the story from a witness' point of view, but I'd like to alert our teens, including your story.

Even though Ryan has no longer been here since 2003, and I wasn't able to meet him when he was, I feel that he changed the world, my world. He is forever missed and thought about by me. I don't pray much, but I think and allow God to hear my thoughts, you and your family come up in my thoughts numerous times, and I promise to keep everything you've taught with me in my heart. Bullying is never to be taken lightly, and even though for a short time, I would see stars try to get out the message, it's not enough. The thing that will "stomp out bullying" as JoJo would say, is for teens to actually stop bullying, and warn their friends. I'm currently making that my life mission: stop bullying. No child should ever be pushed so far towards the edge, that they take their life from themselves and the people that love them.

Thank you so much, Mr. Halligan. And let Ryan forever rest in peace, knowing that people do care about the issue, and are actually doing something about it.

With all my love always,

Kelsey.

Im really soory for your loss

RIP