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homerhorizon.com news
the Homer Horizon | May 17, 2018 | 3
Cubs national anthem singer visits 33C, speaks on bullying
Jacquelyn Schlabach
Assistant Editor
“If you can’t be kind,
don’t be anything,” John
Vincent told a crowd of seventh-
and eighth-graders at
Homer Jr. High.
The national anthem
singer for the Chicago Cubs
visited Homer Jr. High and
Goodings Grove School students
May 9 to speak with
them and share his personal
experiences with bullying
growing up.
Last year, Vincent made
a commitment to visit any
school for free to discuss the
issue of bullying and how
students can overcome it and
prevent it. So far, he’s gone
to six schools in the Chicago
area.
“I hope they don’t have
to go through what I went
through, and that lingering
effect that just hurts you and
stays with you,” he said. “I
hope they overcome it, I
hope they find compassion
in their hearts that the only
way through life is helping
people and being kind to
people.”
Vincent started being bullied
when he was in second
grade until he was a junior in
high school. He tried playing
football to help cope with it,
but he said although he was
good at the sport, it never
really helped subside the effects
of bullying.
“I had anger inside of me;
I wasn’t happy, and I don’t
want these kids to do this,”
he said. “I want them to not
have a place where they’re
worried about themselves or
worried about if they’re OK
to go to school. I want them
to go to a place where they’re
comfortable and happy.”
Vincent said it took him
awhile to come to terms with
the fact that he was bullied,
and once he did, he sought
counseling and has become
a more compassionate person
as he’s gotten older.
“It took me a long time
to recognize that,” Vincent
said. “I knew about [the
bullying], obviously, but
to come to terms and know
that it can affect you in
life. It affects all of us, we
are a product of our childhood,
so however you were
brought up is going to affect
you when you get older as
adults.”
He wants students to understand
that being kind to
each other is the best thing
Student Tyler Jacques (right) stands with John Vincent as they address concerns about
bullying at an assembly May 9 at Homer Jr. High. max lapthorne/22nd century media
they can do. They’re all in
it together, and they need to
look out for each other because
it’s the right thing to
do.
“If you’re good to somebody,
that’s all that matters,”
Vincent said. “I don’t care
where you’re from, who
you are, if you’re good to
people, treat the janitor the
same way to treat the CEO,
treat everybody — race, religion,
creed, color, whatever
Please see anthem, 11
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