Tyler Clementi, who took his life on September 22nd 2010, has impacted the lives of many at City High. Designing suicide prevention t-shirts to help the cause, Ari Dahlin 12’ tells the inspiring story of how they came about.

“The day after it happened I was in English class, and Mrs. Foreman told us about Tyler Clementi. First, she told us that his roommate posted inappropriate videos of him with another man on the Internet, and then she said he jumped off a bridge and killed himself. Many of my classmates burst out laughing when they heard his story. They thought it was funny that his tapes were on the Internet.”

Impacted by their reactions, Dahlin decided to do something about it. Using three of her own paychecks and donations, she succeeded in making t-shirts for the cause.

“As soon as Ari told me about her plans, I was behind her 100%,” Lea Barbary 11’ said. “Were trying to get the word out and tell students it’s not okay, you can’t just hurt some body’s feelings and not care.”

So far, between Glow and other helpers, over 200 t-shirts have been ordered and passed out. Options include an assortment of black, pink and purple and list the names of many who have committed suicide or been murdered as a result of their sexuality.

“The t-shirts are to raise awareness and are for people who want to show support,” Teacher advisor Mrs. Hill said. “There’s a huge list of people who want them.”