Being the new kid at school is a toss up. Classmates will either be inviting or impudent. I moved and switched schools in seventh grade. This was the fifth time. I don’t know what I expected to happen on my first day, but what happened was nothing I prepared for.

In the first hours, I could tell I was not wanted. I meandered through the halls hoping to see a familiar face, but that welcoming face never came...Kids picked on me, pointing out my clothes and chuckling. The laughter seemed endless. Finally, a new face stepped in to stop my torture. The unfamiliar face scolded my harassers: “What is wrong with you people? Leave her alone.”

This was something I never forgot. The face that was once unknown, I now see everyday as my best friend Mackenzie.

I know what it feels like to be bullied. It’s as if the world circumscribes around you, and there is no discontinuity in the hatred. No one should be bullied. My high school has tried to end this vulgar action. From Best Buddies to taking action against bullying, my high school does all it can to strike out bullying.

One of my favorite things my school has done is Valentine’s Day pick-me-ups. A week before Valentine’s Day, students printed off an assortment of Valentine messages, and taped them on every locker. I walked into school and saw the lockers--it was a sight I will never forget. Not a single locker was missing one. How amazing! I thought. All this effort put in to pull this off, just to make someone smile. It was incredible. I saw students reading them, giggling.

The vibe in school that week was altered. Everyone was cheerful and exuberating positive energy. The anti-bullying tactics at Arrowhead are eradicating the bullying in the school. Bullying is a problem, but you are the solution. Stop it before it starts.