WWE Superstar Sheamus Rocks Tyl

WWE Superstar Sheamus revved up kids and adults alike on Tuesday with an energetic anti-bullying program, courtesy of WWE, Mayor Ron McDaniel and the Mohegan Tribe.

The red-headed Irish wrestler strode through the packed gym a little before noon, and the applause and cheering rose around him.

"I was picked on by a number of kids in my school," he said, "beaten up physically, beaten up verbally... I didn't want to go to school, I hated myself, I literally wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

"I thought there was something wrong with me," he said. "And then I realized that I wasn't the problem. The bullies were the problem."

Finally, his friends convinced him to do something about it - talk to an adult.

And that's what he urged Tyl students to do if they're being bullied. Band together, act like a family - and bring in teachers, administrators, parents - any adult. Freeze the bullies out.

After his talk, Sheamus took questions from individual pupils, shaking hands with them, and using the microphone to repeat their questions to the audience. He answered them publicly over the mic, then spent a few moments in a private discussion with the pupils.

At the end, he asked the audience if it wanted to be on WWE TV. The screams and shouts were deafening, as Sheamus called out: "Don't be a bully..." and the entire student body responded: "Be a star!"

The visit came through the WWE's be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) program, which World Wrestling Entertainment launched about a year ago. It is part of an anti-bullying program that Tyl has had in place for a while. Principal Mary Jane Dix said that she believes it's having a positive effect on the school.

The mission of the STAR program, according to its website, "is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation."

Sheamus is one of eight or 10 Superstars and Divas who volunteer to do events like this two or three times a month, said Karrin Smoley of WWE. Sheamus has been doing the events for about a year, he says, and he enjoys them.

"Bullying made me more determined," he said after the event. And during it, he emphasized to the kids that they can do whatever they want - be a doctor, be a movie star, be a WWE Superstar. The point is to try, to give it your all.

"If I don't," he said, "I don't want to live the rest of my life in regret."

Did you take photos or videos at the rally on Tuesday? Why not upload them here and share them with Montville Patch readers?

And come back to the Montville Patch later this morning to take a poll on bullying!

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