By Jack McDermott
Online Editor-in-Chief
The last Knights Way day started with a bang.  For a short while #bethepower was the second most trending hashtag in the country and almost every student made a pledge to stop online bullying if they ever come across it.
“There were a lot of good tweets on there and it was an important topic about us using social media as good citizens trying to be positive,” Dr. Jay KypJohnson said.
Junior Patrick Boarini tweeted #bethepower at junior Jeffrey Lin and included how Lin had nice hair, and many tweets, serious and jokingly alike, quickly followed.
On that same day Boarini said, “the tweets are going to encourage people to do more and be kind to one another on social media.”
The idea was started by a group of Knights Way leaders including seniors Frances, Mary and Theresa Ponicki, Erik Kryzak, and Beth Clifford.  These same leaders were also the main reason why #bethepower was such a success.
“We are the only school in the district now with a program like Knights Way where we have almost 200 kids in the building and so [the district] decided, ‘wow, we really have this vehicle by which we can accomplish these things,’” Kyp-Johnson said.  “In another school I’m not sure how they would accomplish that without student leaders in the classroom.”
However, since the craze has died down it is hard to tell how much of an impact #bethepower is continuing to have.  Here are four students opinions on whether #bethepower is having a lasting effect on online bullying.

Freshman Ryan Howe

“I think it will last for a while but it will end after this year.  After the first day I really haven’t seen it.”

Sophomore Sam Lumia
“I know that people still talk about it and it had to have an immediate affect but I don’t think its still on peoples minds.”
 
 

Freshman Pennda Arami

“Probably not, there is always going to be ignorant people.  You can’t change the way you are.”

 
 
Junior Seva Tikhomirov
“I think it will have a lasting impact if people think about it.  It is actually a big problem to kids our age and it is a powerful statement.”