Susquehannock had the opportunity to be a part of hearing “Ryan’s Story” on Nov. 12, 2024.

Ryan’s Story is from the perspective of a father named John Halligan, whose son lost his life to suicide in 2003. The tragedy played a part in influencing many lives.

With Halligan’s words, students get to hear how their words impact others and how you must forgive in order to heal ourselves. Most importantly, students learned that they are loved so very much even when they can’t see or feel it.

Principal James Sterner was personally impacted by Ryan’s story.

“I left extremely touched by the words he shared and the experiences he went through as a parent,” Sterner said.

Halligan was able to let students understand how their words and actions have power for the worse or the better.

“Mr. Halligan provides a really powerful call to action, encouraging us to think about the things that we do and to consider ourselves as bystanders or up standards,” Sterner said

Susquhannock’s social worker Bianca De La Cruz had very positive thoughts on the presentation as well.

“I think it [went] well, students seemed to receive it well also,” De La Cruz said.

In Halligan’s presentation, he noted that a smudge of paint can turn into a butterfly, meaning that a mistake can turn into a life lesson.

“That statement is absolutely true,” De La Cruz said. “…and everything happens for a reason, and you can always look at things as if they are happening to me, or they are happening for me.”