5 students from Swansea High School attended an Anti-Bullying Summit at the Columbia Convention Center Sept. 13.

The morning kicked off with a video welcome from Molly Spearman, State Superintendent of Education.

During the day students heard from guest speakers, participated in a poster contest, and were entertained by local mascots.

Beasy Babie, a disc jockey from HOT 103.9, spoke with the students about her struggles during childhood. She shared how she overcame them by staying positive and continuing to work toward her goals.

Taylor Davis with the SC Department of Mental Health talked about the warning signs of suicide and stressed the importance of being a good friend and standing up for others.

Keith Deltano, a teacher and nationally known anti-bullying speaker, impressed upon the students how harmful online bullying can be and discussed how sometimes people will say things online that they would never say to you face-to-face.

The students had a productive working lunch at the event and discussed situations from a personal standpoint. Caleb Brunson, Senior at SHS, made plans to initiate Public Service Announcement videos to be shared with students during school mentor periods.

These videos will include role-plays on how to act when you see someone being bullied, how to be a good friend, and what not to say to others.