Proven Impact: 20+ Years, 2,500+ Schools, 1 Million+ Students
In memory of Ryan Patrick Halligan 1989-2003
Ryan’s Story by John Halligan: A Meaningful Middle & High School Assembly on Bullying, Cyberbullying and Suicide Prevention
Ryan's Story, presented by John Halligan, is a powerful, age-appropriate school assembly that helps students choose kindness and empathy, become upstanders, seek help when they are struggling, and create a more compassionate school culture.
Watch John Halligan introduce Ryan’s Story, a 60-minute assembly for grades 5–12 about bullying, cyberbullying and suicide prevention.
A School Assembly Addressing Bullying, Cyberbullying, Mental Health and School Culture
Ryan’s Story is a 60-minute assembly for students in grades 5–12 addressing bullying, cyberbullying, mental health awareness, and suicide prevention. Presented by me, John Halligan, the program draws on my family’s experience to help students understand the impact of their choices—and the difference they can make in someone else’s life.
Schools invite me because these issues are showing up in their hallways, group chats, and homes. They want a message students will take seriously, remember, and put into practice.
For more than 20 years, I’ve shared Ryan’s Story with school communities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I’ve presented at 2,500 schools, reaching more than one million students with a message about compassion, accountability, forgiveness, and the importance of seeking help.
Students listen differently when the message is real.
In 2003, I lost my 13-year-old son, Ryan, to suicide after he experienced prolonged bullying at school and online. I share his story with honesty and care, giving students space to reflect on their own lives and how they treat others.
Rather than lecture, I invite students to consider how their words, actions, and silence affect the people around them. Students who have stood on the sidelines are encouraged to become upstanders: to support someone being targeted, speak up, and seek help from a trusted adult. They are also challenged to take responsibility when they have caused harm, apologize, and choose compassion—even when it is difficult.
I speak openly about my belief that depression played an underlying role in Ryan’s death. Alongside the discussion of bullying, the presentation emphasizes the importance of taking emotional pain seriously and reaching out for support. Students are encouraged to ask for help for themselves or a friend and to understand that they do not have to handle these concerns alone. Suicide prevention is addressed directly and with care.
An Assembly That Doesn't End When the Bell Rings
A meaningful assembly for students in grades 5–12 focused on empathy, kindness, accountability, mental health, digital responsibility and becoming an upstander.
The age-appropriate program includes approximately 45 minutes of storytelling, followed by a guided discussion that reinforces the lessons and gives students an opportunity to reflect.
Students learn:
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How forgiveness can help them heal.
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Why asking for help—for themselves or someone else—is a sign of strength.
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How to move from being a bystander to an upstander.
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Why accountability and a sincere apology matter.
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How everyday acts of kindness can help others feel seen, supported, and included.
Above all, students leave with a message they need to hear: You matter. You are valued. You are not alone. You are loved beyond belief.
Following Ryan’s death, I spearheaded Vermont’s first bullying prevention legislation and helped pass mandatory suicide prevention education in public schools. My work has been featured on PBS Frontline, Oprah, ABC’s Primetime with Diane Sawyer, and TLC. I have also spoken at the United Nations Cyberhate Seminar.
Schools bring me in because they want an honest, age-appropriate conversation that engages students, supports the work of staff and administrators, and gives families a meaningful starting point for further discussion. Ryan’s Story helps school communities connect bullying prevention and mental health awareness to the everyday choices that shape how students treat one another.
I share Ryan’s story to open honest conversations and give students practical ways to care for themselves and others. My goal is for its lessons to stay with them long after the assembly ends.
If you’re looking for a presentation that connects with students, respects their intelligence, and supports a more compassionate school community, I’d welcome the opportunity to talk.
What Makes Storytelling So Effective For Learning? - Harvard Business Publishing
What Students Take Away From Ryan's Story
Ryan's Story, presented by John Halligan, is more than an anti-bullying assembly. Students leave understanding how everyday choices can influence the culture of their school. The presentation encourages students to:
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Choose kindness and empathy in person and online
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Recognize bullying and cyberbullying and speak up
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Move from bystander to upstander
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Understand the connection between emotional distress and asking for help
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Take greater responsibility for social media and digital behavior
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Support classmates who may feel isolated or excluded
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Know when to involve a trusted adult
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Understand that forgiveness, accountability and compassion can change relationships
The Details
Middle & High School Student Assembly
Length: 60 minutes
Ryan's Story, presented by John Halligan is a 60-minute middle and high school assembly for grades 5–12 addressing bullying, cyberbullying, mental health awareness, suicide prevention, empathy, kindness and upstander behavior. Students are reached deeply and profoundly and are encouraged to examine their lives and how they treat others. Bystanders are inspired to stand by no longer and use their voices to stop others from getting bullied at school or online. All will leave this presentation feeling loved, hopeful, and changed.
For more information click here.
Parent Program on Social Media, Cyberbullying & Teen Mental Health
Length: 60 minutes
John Halligan shares his hard-earned lessons about cyberbullying and suicide from his family's tragedy. It is updated every school year to address the latest social media problems facing preteens and teens. Practical recommendations are provided for parents to prevent suicide and bullying. Parents leave with a clear, actionable understanding of what their kids are encountering online — and practical steps to stay connected and engaged.
For more information click here.
Video Access format available too. click here
Lasting Impact: What Students, Parents & Educators Say Years Later
"My name is Stephanie, and you came to talk at my middle school around 2011. Although I was very young, Ryan's story touched me in ways I didn't think were possible. I know Ryan's story touched many people in my school, even those I thought would ignore it. I graduated high school in 2015 from Chelmsford High, and graduated college (University of Massachusetts Lowell) with a Psychology major and Criminal Justice Minor in spring 2019. Ryans story has stayed with me since I was 14 years old, and I am 22 now. You have imprinted on me, lessons I never would've learned. I am keeping your family in my prayers and heart; and there isn't a week that goes by that I don't think back to the presentation and story you told."
Former Student / Young Adult
"Several days ago I had the pleasure to hear your presentation, as I am a staff member at Long Valley Middle School New Jersey. I have been teaching since the fall of 1967, so I have been subjected to far more useless assemblies than I care to remember! Honestly, your program is positively the best presentation for students that I have ever heard. For once, it was something that was real and tangible. Unless students are emotionally hooked into what is being delivered, they walk away unaffected. Yours, however, resonated and was authentic."
Teacher
"Thank you for having the courage to tell this story over and over again. I can’t imagine how hard it is to constantly open up and share this unbearable pain. My son asked me to go to your lecture last night, I am embarrassed to say that like every busy parent, I ignored the emails inviting us to this presentation. Having my son who is in the throes of navigating middle school tell me to go, made me get in my car after a long, busy day to sit and listen. Wow, was it worth it. I learned quite a bit about how I need to communicate with my son and have this on-going conversation about how to treat others. Tell your next audience of kids to encourage their parents to attend. Just like peer pressure, children can often persuade their parents to take action better than a slew of emails.
Thank you for dedicating your life to saving our kids lives. I have no doubt you are preventing many kids from hurting themselves and others"
Parent
"My name is Danielle and I live in New Jersey. Mr. Halligan visited my middle school, H.B.Whitehorne, several years ago. As I have grown older, the impact of his presentation has touched my life.
This is my first year of college and I've been having a hard time transitioning to living away from home. Everyday I tell myself, "you can always turn an ink blot into a butterfly", and that saying keeps me going. With any situation I find myself in, I repeat this saying in my head and it immensely helps me and puts my situation into perspective. Hearing your story and motivation truly inspires me to persevere and make the world a better place.
I think that you are one of the most powerful, motivational voices in the world. Your story is one that everyone must hear and it has changed my outlook on life. I am so thankful for you and your dedication to making this place a better world."
Student
"In 2008 you came to my middle school. Ryan's story 100% changed my life. I was bullied very much throughout school and many times planned my out. After Ryan's story, it gave me the perspective of the parents/loved ones' side. I remember specifically you telling us with your voice cracking with emotion that our parents love us SO much. Now 14 years later having my own children I understand that pure deep love that we have for our children. Thank you for sharing Ryan with all of us. I will never forget.💕"
Former Student/Now Parent
"I am 22 years old. When I was in elementary school you came to my school and I just wanted you to know that many years later your son's story still stays in my head and plays on repeat. I have told my siblings and everyone I know about this. When I was your son's age I went through what he did for many years. And for a long time, my mom blamed herself. She is a single mom of 5. I did try to take my own life many times but then we think of your presentation. Nowadays with everything that is going on in the world, I feel his story should be shared more as depression and bullying have a big factor in this age. I do want to say thank you for impacting my life so much to where years later I still think of your son's story. Please don't think that it hasn't changed someone's life because it changed mine."
Former Student/Now Young Adult
"In 2012, you came to my middle school in Bethlehem PA, Nitschmann. The school has undergone major reconstruction since then, but the memories of that assembly still resonate with me to this day. And you couldn't have come at a better time, because a few weeks before that assembly, I started contemplating suicide for the first time in my life. Social isolation made middle school very rough for me and I wanted a quick way out. Your assembly saved my life and helped me see the bright side of life. And I never forgot your words, "You can always turn an ink blot into a butterfly." I was an ink blot in middle school, and your words helped me live long enough to see myself turn into a butterfly. I'm forever grateful for what you did for me that day."
Former Student/Now Young Adult
"My name is Samantha and you spoke at my small town school in Kentucky about 16 years ago. I just wanted to take the time to reach out to let you know I still think about your story. What you are doing makes such an impact and I am happy to see you are still traveling and trying to reach as many people as you can.
I remember how things changed in our school after your presentation. Kids talked to other kids regardless of what "clique" they were in. We graduated the following year and nearly everyone in our class got along. Remembering that is even more important now that I am a parent myself. Thank you for sharing Ryan with us and continuing to share his story, because I know he will continue to change lives."
Former Student/Now Parent
"Last week, we welcomed John to speak with our students. His message about bullying, digital cruelty, and getting help was honest, compassionate, and deeply human. You could feel the shift in the room— over 1000 students were silent: listening, reflecting, and talking with trusted adults afterward. The impact was profound.
School leaders: I encourage you to bring John to your campus. He gives students practical language to ask for help and to show up for one another, and he assures them that they are “loved beyond belief.” This is the kind of assembly that doesn’t end when the bell rings—it starts conversations that save lives."
Middle School Principal
"You don’t know me, but I grew up in the very rural Grand Isle, VT, and I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and thank you for the impact you had on me.
In 8th grade (around 2007/2008), my parents moved me to the Essex school district where my older sister attended EHS, to help me escape the bullying. Not long after, I heard you speak about your son. Your message helped me feel understood in a way I hadn’t before as a child struggling with suicidal thoughts, even though I continued to struggle internally for several years (until college) as I came to terms with my sexuality.
I just wanted you to know that your courage in sharing your story truly saved my life. Thank you for all of the lives you've touched, and I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season."
Former Student/Now Young Adult
