Last Words from a Sweet, Decent Young Woman

I'm sure most of you heard about the drive-by shooting in Lake Stevens of Molly Conley,  student at Bishop Blanchet High School.  She was shot to death on her 15th birthday; the police have no suspects in custody at this time.

From My Northwest, Linda Thomas reports that the school sent home her report card and in the envelope was a letter she wrote to her class as a last assignment. 

Blanchet is a Catholic school so Molly does speak in religious terms.  But what she asks of her classmates (and herself) should ring true for all teens.  Show this to your middle schooler or teen and ask them to consider what she says going forward in their lives.  Hers is over but maybe she can generate some real thought about how students treat each other.

I particularly like her last paragraph.

Dear Class of 2016, I pray that we can find a way to connect and get along before our last year together. I pray we are different. I pray that we can be a family. I pray that we can make this school our home.
High school is a trying time in which we must look to God for help. We should all be comfortable with asking for help with anything. I feel we got a great start on our frosh retreat. However, we all need to get things off our chest and a great way to do that is to pray, but I know that we all aren't religious so I encourage you to look for help in the people around you.
If we all get to know each other now it will make our lives together that much better. Now I am not asking for everyone to be great friends but the least we could do is respect one another. This is like how Jesus says to treat others how you would like to be treated. If we do that then we would no longer hurt each other. Another way to say that is put yourself in their shoes. We need to know that everyone has different things they are dealing with. It is very often that I forget the world does not revolve around me. I admit that I get caught up in my own life and forget other people have troubles also. When I remember that I am able to be more understanding of others. If we all step back for a second and remember we all have our troubles we will be able to respect each other more easily.
We need to see each other as humans not as a name on a screen. We need to be kind to each other face to face and on the internet. Our generation faces so many obstacles because of the tools we are given. The internet and phones were practically made to let people get away with bullying and that is an unfortunate truth. However we can be the change. We can turn the internet into what it was originally intended for, a tool for learning and sharing. A way for people to bond with people all around the world. All we have to do is respect each other. All we have to do to change is to be aware. So I pray that we will take these next few years together and make them great.