The sixteenth stop on my 50 States Against Bullying campaign brought me to Oldham County High School in Kentucky!
But since I arrived early, I first took a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. If you haven't been (and I can't believe how many locals haven't!), you should. They take you on a thirty minute walk through the factory where you watch spinning cylinders of wood shaped into bats. It really is fascinating! And the place smells good, too.
Unfortunately, they don't let you take photos inside the factory. But they will let you take a pic of the bat outside!
When I entered the high school, I immediately knew where to find the library. It was the room that had its windows covered with #ReasonsWhyYouMatter cards.
Inside the library, I was welcomed by...um...I can't remember this lady's name. So I'll just call her Annabelle! Annabelle changes her wardrobe throughout the year. Today, she wore a Thirteen Reasons Why t-shirt.
On the back, the t-shirt says...
(This isn't Annabelle. This is a very nice student.)
Before the students entered the auditorium, Colin Mayfield from WLKY interviewed me for the news. I hope they were only shooting me from the chest up, because from the chest down it looks like I'm trying out for Riverdance (the international Irish dancing phenomenon).
As the students arrived, the screen displayed several of the #ReasonsWhyYouMatter cards filled out by students.
And here they are!
(photo lovingly borrowed from school's Twitter feed)
Here I am with only some of the library aides who helped make sure this event ran without a hitch.
And yes, on the way to my next stop I grabbed a quick bite at KFC!
2 comments:
It was nice meeting you Jay, but my name is Annette. If you are going to make me famous, please you must get my name correct:)
It was such an honor having you come to our school. I am a teacher that had the privilege of spending a great deal of time working with the freshman students both before and after your visit - studying the topic of bullying and the outcomes that can result. We were able to read your book as a class, have spent a great deal of time journaling, have written poetry, created Tell Your Story Maps (similar to Hannah's) - with written explanation of why those spots were chosen. We have talked about bullying, the effects, the signs, and most importantly - how we can be the CHANGE. Thank you for choosing OCHS. It is because of your visit that we were prompted to really focus in on such an important topic. These kids are facing things on a daily basis, and in many of their words, your book has "saved their life". Thank you for an engaging presentation that truly stirred up many things that got our students talking and thinking. They loved you!
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