After a Greenwich High School student committed suicide after being bullied, students at Stamford High School walked six miles to Greenwich in support of a new anti-bullying movement, GreenwichTime reported.
On Sept. 24, 13 students from Stamford High School and three from Brien McMahon High School walked six miles from Stamford to Greenwich to promote anti-bullying awareness following the suicide of Greenwich sophomore Bart Palosz.
Palosz, a 15-year-old Polish immigrant, killed himself with his family's shotgun after his first day of sophomore year on Aug. 27. According to his friends, he was bullied for his accent and his size, standing at 6 feet and 3 inches tall.
"We're just here to show our support for Greenwich High and to remember Bart, a great person who they lost," said Phederine Lyra, senior at Stamford High. "I think it means a lot to them to see that someone else is here to show they really care."
Lyra added that the group received a warm welcome from members of GHS Connections -- Greenwich's anti-bullying club -- when they arrived around 10 a.m.
"What you guys did -- it's truly an inspiration," said senior Elias Frank, a Connections co-founder. "You walked six miles in the middle of the school day to show that you guys care. Words cannot express it. We are so grateful that so many people want to see a change."
All students involved belong respectively to the Mayor's Youth Leadership Council in Stamford and McMahon's Center for Youth Leadership, which are active in outreach and support.
"When we heard about Bart's suicide, we decided walking all the way from Stamford to Greenwich was a great way to show support," said Nic Solano, a McMahon senior. "And this tragedy really hit home with us because we've just started our new mental health first-aid team at Brien McMahon."
To solidify their support for Greenwich High School, the students that made the six mile journey brought them a banner which reads "Your fingerprints will never fade from the lives you touch."
Other students uninvolved in the groups said they were pleased with local activism.
I'm glad we're actually doing something about it, instead of just saying we're going to do it," said student Hannah Klein. "We really are taking action."
