My name is Katelyn. I am 19 years old. I was born March 28, 1997. I grew up in Garnders, Pa and went to Carlisle School District all my life. Come 2012, which was 8th grade I moved to Perry County and went to Susquenita School District. I went the 2 months of 8th grade – 10th grade then I came to attend an online school. I moved just for something better than what we had. But, when I got to Susquenita I got bullied badly that is why I switched to online school.

In 8th grade after I moved to Susquenita I had no friends. Everyone looked at me like I was so find of freak. I cried every day.  I just wanted to go back to Carlisle. I wanted to just never come to school because no one liked me, talked to me, sat with me or anything. The last 2 months of 8th grade we horrible until the end the last couple days when people began to talk with me, like me and sit with me. After that, I was ready to go to 9th grade because I had finally made friends.

In 9th grade I had a hard time at first but then everybody just wanted to talk to me get to know me and be my friend. It was pretty exciting and I was ever so happy. I made a good bit of friends that I hung out with daily, sat with at lunch, did projects together, talked on the phone and even texted sometimes. They were really good friends. But, I couldn’t help myself but to every day miss my childhood friends and compare my new friends to them. I did stay in contact with a lot of people from Carlisle but, after the years went on most of us just stop talking. I still till this day talk to about a handful of them.

In 10th grade I still had all my friends and had a good time with them. At this point they even started to come over to my house for sleepovers. Then, after the year went on I started to get badly bullied. It was only by a certain crowd boys and some girls but, only boys mostly. They constantly every day told me the same thing. I was told I was ugly, fat that I had an odd looking butt and so much more. After they said it they’d all laugh. And my friends never knew what to say about it. It just always happened. And I ignored it all the time and didn’t let them know it bothered me id listen to music on the bus to block them out. I did all I could to make it seem like it was nothing. At first, I didn’t care and I am like whatever there just jealous of me. And as it went on throughout the year I developed being extremely depressed. I never wanted to go to school all I did was cry. I sleep all the time. It got so bad that I thought that I was just a worthless piece of space and wanted to die. So, I started to self-harm myself because I felt it mad everything better. But, it didn’t people found out like friends and they got upset with me. My mom found out way after. She was so upset and hurt to hear I was hurting myself because of other kids. She went right into the school the next day told the school all about it. They said well there’s only 2 months left of school if it begins next year she can tell us and we will take care of it then. My mom was so mad she signed all the papers and pulled me out of school and I got registered for Agora. Everything was fine than I got cyber bullied for a month and I started to stand up for myself because I was so sick of being treated bad and it all stopped.

I personally do not take people bullying me get really mad and upset now that I have been thru it. For me moving was a horrible experience and I will never let my kids or sisters go thru what I did.  And I am really glad online school was an option for me it helped me out so much and made me feel so much better and not self-harm or be depressed because I wasn’t dealing with people.