By LAUREN REMBOLD
Student contributor
“No one, I repeat, no one is allowed to eat lunch alone.” These are the words of speaker and 2007 World Record winner, Jon Pritikin.
Photos by Lindsay Perry/Student Contributor
Pritikin shared his story with 7th-12th grades on Sept. 26 during study period.
He shared some of his many accomplishments, such as being a two-time world record winner, working for many major sports teams and speaking to over 8 million people worldwide.
After demonstrating his unimaginable physical strength during the assembly – such as bending a steel bar, lifting and spinning two girls, rolling a frying pan into a burrito, and more – Pritikin then shared some of the most intimate and vulnerable moments of his life with students, stating he grew up in Illinois without many friends. Due to some learning difficulties, he
Photos by Lindsay Perry/Student Contributor
was teased and bullied by neighbors, classmates, and even teachers.
He also spoke about a teenager at a high school who had taken his life after being bullied and harassed. Pritikin stated that it affected him so badly because he doesn’t want anyone to have to feel like that is an option.
In his words, “It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”
After discussing how important it is to speak up if you feel depressed or need to talk, Pritikin invited a student to join him as he gave her his wristband and stressed to everyone that every life matters.
Pritikin is surely a meaningful favorite here at Cranberry, and we are incredibly grateful for his time and inspirational words.
Lauren Rembold and Lindsay Perry are students at Cranberry High School and members of the school’s journalism/publications group.
