As the bell rang for 9th hour class of my junior year at Arrowhead High School,  I rushed to class and immediately sat down. I quickly realized I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom and get out of class, so I asked my teacher. In order to miss the most amount of class possible, I walked to the bathroom in the lunchroom. As I approached the lunch room, I saw a group of my friends sitting at a table. I waved to them as I passed. After using the restroom, I walked back to class, passing their table again. As I walked by I heard, in a loud and obnoxious tone, one of the boys scream “Mooooo!” as if I were a cow. I turned around to look him in the face and I saw the boys laughing at me pretending none of them said it. I quickly felt a tear run down my cheek.

I went back to class and could not stop violently crying. I ran out and sat in the bathroom for the last two periods of the day. It was a Tuesday (during the last week of school) which meant I had to go to my last Key Club (volunteer club) group meeting today at 2:36.  I walked out of the stall, wiped my face off and went to tell my teacher I was fine and I just needed some time. But I was not fine and I needed more than time.

When the bell rang, I headed to the meeting. I walked into the study hall and made eye contact with Mr. Lewandowski, the club advisor and school psychologist, who asked, “Savannah, are you okay?”

The minute he asked me that, a sense of vulnerability and sadness rushed over me. I began to cry again. He pulled me out of the meeting and told the president to take over.

He walked with me around the school for the duration of the meeting while I sobbed. Mr. Lewandowski asked, “What happened that made you feel like this?”

I proceeded to tell him the entire story.

His response was simply, “Why would you let people make you feel this way? This is clearly not true.” He continued to ask me questions and offered me advice like, “The best thing to do is not to give them a strong reaction. Maybe, it would be best if you talked to him personally.”

Although I have known Mr. Lewandowski for nearly two years now, I feel like I never knew him until this happened. I knew a tall, athletic, and organized leader who was fun to talk to. I knew a person that would be short six volunteers at a Key Club event, and still have a smile on his face. I met someone who showed me he cared about my well being and wanted me to be happy. I met someone willing to hear me cry about pointless high school drama. I met someone who made me his priority. I met Mr. Lewandowski, someone whose office feels like home.

As the meeting ended and I saw the kids leave the study hall, I stopped crying and felt the urge to smile. Not only did my mood change, but I was ready to move on and go into summer open minded.

Now, I am able to confront people head on without making a scene. I am able to walk away with a smile on my face, instead of a tear down my cheek. Thank you, Mr.Lewandowski.