IPPN

Published: 27 January 2011

A GROUP of students inspired by the life and death of Phoebe Prince has set up a group to fight bullying — and they hope to spread the message across the United States and beyond.

The group, backed by Phoebe’s aunt Eileen Moore, is calling itself Phoebe’s Messengers.

The message the students at the secondary school in Massachusetts — not Phoebe’s but one close by — want to spread is nothing less than to build communities free of bullying.

Phoebe, a 15-year-old originally from Co Clare who emigrated to the US, killed herself after suffering months of abuse at the hands of some students at her school in South Hadley. The first anniversary of her death was last week.

Her life and death is being compared to that of a 13-year-old girl from Longford, Chloe Coleman. Her grandfather claims that Chloe took her own life last week after being subjected to abuse and threats, verbal, physical and via text messages.

Students in Springfield, Massachusetts, joined this week with teachers and Ms Moore to launch Phoebe’s Messengers.

One student, Lorraine Switzer, created a pin which members of the group plan to wear.

"It’s a small sky-blue heart with ‘Phoebe’s Messengers’ abbreviated and white wings and kind of like a sense of hope, like the wings of hope," said Lorraine.