Cyberbullying takes lives. It disrupts friendships, puts a strain on family lives, creates enemies, and destroys self-esteem. With its intense physical, emotional, and psychological toll, it makes even the simplest tasks—such as waking up—seem daunting, overwhelming, and insurmountable.

To make their voices heard and take a stand against cyberbullying, seniors at Newark’s Barringer High School composed powerful, thought-provoking essays about cyberbullying, as part of the Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation and Next Level Training’s Project Prom 2016.

For the third straight year, former professional NFL punter Steve Weatherford, the Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation, and Next Level Training collaborated on Project Prom, a meaningful initiative they created to help students face, and ultimately overcome, adversity. Each year, Project Prom invites seniors at a specific high school to participate in an essay-writing contest on an important topic affecting today’s youth.  The overall winners become recipients of an all-expenses-paid prom—and the thrill of being accompanied to prom by Weatherford.

With particularly compelling and moving essays illustrating the effects of cyberbullying, six Barringer seniors—Yannett Ortiz, Briana Vera, Jonathan Carcamo, Imani Mitchell, Grace Appiah, and Amanda Dominguez—were crowned the winners of this year’s Project Prom in an assembly today. The six winners and their dates will attend prom in style, with all of their expenses—hair, makeup, dresses, flowers, tuxedos, transportation, and prom tickets—gratis.

Weatherford and Next Level Training paid a visit to Barringer to personally announce the winners and to commend all seniors at Barringer Academy of the Arts and Humanities (BAAH) and Barringer S.T.E.A.M. Academy for their thoughtful insights, beautifully-written stories, and passionate ideas for ending cyberbullying.

“The people that tear you down and belittle you are people that don't feel good about themselves," said Weatherford. "In order to really change the culture of a generation, it starts grassroots, and it starts with one person inspiring another person, inspiring his class, inspiring the city, inspiring the state, the country, and then [the] world.”

“We are honored to have the opportunity to serve such a tremendous group of students,” said Donald Shauger, owner of Next Level Training. “The essays they wrote on their experiences with bullying showed not only what trials they have faced, but also what steps they want to take to make this world a better place.”

STOPit, a technology company with an anti-bullying app, also served as a sponsor of this year’s initiative.

Approximately 50 seniors from BAAH and S.T.E.A.M. participated in this year’s Project Prom, composing incredible essays in response to the following prompt: 

Have you—or has someone you know—ever been cyberbullied? How have your personal experiences with cyberbullying motivated you to become a better friend, classmate, and member of society? Please share your ideas on how we can put an end to cyberbullying and use technology in more productive ways instead.

In a particularly powerful piece, one senior recounted her harrowing experience discovering a friend who had overdosed; thanks to her decisive actions in calling 911, she ultimately saved her friend’s life. Another exemplary senior, motivated by her experiences with cyberbullying, has started an anti-bullying initiative of her own—a monthly open forum giving others the opportunity to seek help and comfort in a judgment-free environment. Others told of their brave decisions to stand behind friends who were being bullied. Several students emphasized the importance of not being a bystander, claiming that a bystander’s inaction can be just as harmful to the victim as the bullying itself.

“Our words have the power to convince someone that they are unworthy to continue existing,” wrote one senior.

“We have a right to be happy in our own skin. Not ready to get out of it,” wrote another.

The students had a few weeks to reflect on the topic before the essay deadline of April 1, 2016, at which time an initial round of readings was done by a judging panel that consisted of many notable figures in the New York metropolitan area:  Bruce Beck, NBC News 4 New York sports anchor; Duke Castiglione, Fox 5 New York sports anchor; Todd Schobel, president/CEO of STOPit; Nancy Easton, co-founder/executive director of Wellness in the Schools; and Tom Patterson, founder/CEO of Tommy John.  After the panelists narrowed the essays to 16 finalist essays, Weatherford and Next Level Training read and reviewed the finalists’ essays, which were both heart-wrenching and hopeful at times.

In an added, unexpected twist to this year’s Project Prom, Weatherford and Next Level Training elected to choose six winners instead of just five, as had been done in years past.  Students did not know until today’s assembly that a sixth winner would be selected.

On June 2, 2016, and June 9, 2016, Weatherford will attend the two Barringer proms and dance the night away with Barringer’s Class of 2016.

As always, Next Level is honored to be involved with Project Prom, which brings meaningful social benefit by drawing attention to important issues that face today’s youth. With community service as one of the defining missions of its organization, Next Level cherishes every opportunity to give back, especially on projects that create positive change and help adolescents in need. 

By Alexandra Gakos