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Ohio high school students plan surprise in memory of classmate
Days after an Ohio high school sophomore took his own life, a group of his classmates went out of their way to send a message to the rest of their school: No one is alone.
The suicide of Mason High School sophomore Kwadwo Boateng, 15, on Aug. 25 came as a shock, according to sophomore Michelle Crispin.
“He was very positive and outgoing,” she told WCPO. “He always wanted to make people laugh; he always wanted to talk to everyone, no matter who it was."
Crispin and her friends reached out to classmates who also might be feeling those emotions that can prompt teens to take their lives. They also wanted to preserve the memory of their late classmate.
“Sometimes it can be really hard to fit in or feel like you are wanted at such a large school," said Erica English, another sophomore. “We all thought it would be a good idea to show everyone how they’re needed and make everyone feel good."
The students spent eight hours Tuesday night writing Post-It notes — one for each student — and attaching them to lockers. The notes bore messages like “You are loved" and “You are awesome.”
“A lot of kids, you’d see them walking around with the Post-It notes or you’d see them talking about it, and it just really made me happy," Crispin said. “We got so many tweets and texts from people who enjoyed it, and it made their day a lot happier."
Kwadwo Boateng, a "positive, outgoing" 15-year-old sophomore at Mason High, took his own life last Thursday.
Posted by WCPO - 9 On Your Side on Wednesday, August 31, 2016
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