Phoebe Prince

By now, most people have heard of Phoebe Prince, the young girl who moved from Ireland to Massachusetts who was bullied to death.

Not only was Phoebe the "new girl" in town, but she was from an entirely different culture. Unfortunately, her vulnerability made her an easy target for these six girls who were threatened by her brief relationship with the captain of the football team and good looks.

It is reported that on her last day at South Hadley High School, on January 14, the freshman was verbally attacked in the library, called an "Irish whore," and had a soda can thrown at her on her walk home from school. A short time after, her sister found her hanged in the closet.

It is absolutely disgusting to me that these "mean girls" would put so much energy into making someone else's life miserable through facebook, text messaging, stalking, and verbally assaulting the poor girl. It baffles me that these girls are capable of such harmful acts. I hope that the 9 teens who are being charged for violation of civil rights, criminal harassment, stalking, disturbance of school assembly, and other violations are not let off easy.

It is also bizarre that not only had Prince's family contacted school officials about the bullying beforehand, but teachers had also witnessed it themselves. In fact it was "common knowledge" around the school that Prince was being bullied and harassed. How could they just let this happen? Had they stepped in, her death could have been prevented.

It is truly a shame that this happened and I sincerely hope that everyone learns from this story. This is a wake-up call for teens who partake in bullying, and for teachers who witness it. It also an eye-opener for parents to teach their children respect and to communicate with them to know what is going on with their lives. Parents, teachers, and school officials need to listen to kids who report bullying and act fast to ensure that it ends.

In no way, shape, or form is bullying ever acceptable. Most likely there will be anti-bullying laws passed as a result of this case in which school officials will be required to interfere when they witness students picking on one another.