What James King says is true. I am a former student of this school, I attended while it was still named OKAA. I went here from Kindergarten until grade 9. The last half of my grade 8 year and all of grade 9 year was the worst time of my life, so bad I have PTSD from the bullying I experienced. I was mocked, ridiculed, judged, told I was worthless and even told to ‘do everyone a favour and kill myself’ all this happening while I watched the people I thought were my friends stand back and watch and say nothing as it happened (I don’t blame them for not speaking up, I would have been afraid to as well). Teachers and other staff never noticed and if they did they sure didn’t do anything about it (but my bullies were good at making their words seem like innocent jokes in front of any staff). It was so bad I had a plan to kill myself. One day my math teacher had seen something alarming I’d wrote on my worksheet. The teachers put me into a car and drove me to see a psychiatrist at KGH. If there is staff reading this you might just remember who I am. If it weren’t for this being done my family wouldn’t have ever believed the severity of my bullying and depression. I finished the school year here and switched schools. Life started looking up, I started to talk again, I made new friends, met family I never would have otherwise.
I’d like to say THANK YOU to my grade 9 math teacher in the year of 2008/2009 ( I hear he is principal now) for seeing what I wrote and taking action on it, it helped to save my life. I now have two beautiful daughters and I’m glad the bullies didn’t win.
To anyone experiencing bullying please reach out for help, you are not alone.