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Credit for caring

Bullies, whether they are young people or adults, are cowards at heart. That is why their victims often are those they perceive to have few friends. When there’s no one to stand up for you, you are an easy target.

Fourteen high school students from our area have been recognized for having both the courage and the compassion to stand up for victims of bullying. Good for them. They have marked themselves as future leaders.

For six years, the Bordas & Bordas law firm of Wheeling has honored and rewarded high school students for doing what they can to counteract bullying. The students are cited as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. Each receives a $500 prize, along with tickets to a Pittsburgh Pirates game, to be enjoyed in the luxury of a Bordas & Bordas suite at PNC Park.

This year’s honorees are Myra McEndree, Barnesville; Gavyn Strauss, Beallsville; Maci Crozier, Bellaire; Damion Green, Bridgeport; Tyler Hill, Cameron; Gabrielle Broski, John Marshall; Emma Campsey, Linsly; Shane Krob, Martins Ferry; Victoria Haswell, Shadyside; Kyle Storer, St. Clairsville; Shaylyn Horvath, St. John Central; Hannah Kemp, Union Local; Baron Vogrin, Wheeling Central; and Jordan Phillips, Wheeling Park.

Good for Bordas & Bordas for honoring the students. And good for the teenagers for doing their part to combat bullying.

It is much, much easier for a teen to simply walk away, both figuratively and sometimes literally, from bullying than to do something to stop it. That is especially true in light of the fact that bullies sometimes turn on those who dare to defend their victims.

It takes a special kind of person, then, to take on the bullies of the world.

Perhaps some or even all of the Bordas & Bordas honorees have experienced the supreme reward for stopping a bully: making a new friend. And, of course, there always is the good feeling of having done the right thing.

Nothing can beat that combination. Here’s hoping the courage and compassion shown by the Bordas & Bordas ambassadors spreads. We need more people, of all ages, like them.

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