In light of tragic events occurring this year at GJHS, teachers have been putting great efforts into finding ways to reach out to students. On January 17, an assembly was sponsored by local organizations that did this and more.

Jon Pritikin is a motivational speaker with an uplifting life story of overcoming extreme battles against bullying. Local organizations paid for him to speak at a Grand Junction High School assembly. He encouraged students not to give up on life by telling a story of a boy with speech and learning disabilities who was severely bullied. This boy, Pritikin revealed, was himself.

Many students found this reached out better than past suicide prevention attempts this year.

“I think this one really grabbed everyone’s attention,” Tatum Niemeyer, sophomore, said.

“Everyone was just super into it and could relate in some way, shape, or form,” Niemeyer said.

Some students criticized Grand Junction staff earlier this year saying they weren’t doing anything to help students. However, staff have brought in presentations on suicide prevention, brought in counselors, and tried to help using a tag #whatadultsshouldknow. Many of these may not have been recognized by most students. Pritikin connected with students very well.

Although Pritikin faced many battles growing up, he went on to hold the Guinness World Record for “the tightest circumference of two aluminum frying pans rolled together with his bare hands in less than 30 seconds” (guinessworldrecords.com). He earned this in London, 2007.

Pritikin used his amazing skills and some humor to get everyone’s eyes glued to the stage and everyone listening. He also used volunteers from the audience. He told students of how he had been physically hurt and laughed at. He endured eating lunch alone every day after being laughed at for trying to sit with others. Pritikin overcame all of this and is currently traveling to spread his story with his wife and daughter. He proved that although things can be bad, life will get better and it is not worth giving up.

*Photos are courtesy of Dylan Edwards