September 28, 2008 - 12:42pm — xavierhonre
Newspaper Article, Sunday April 27, 2008
What will you do to break the silence?
CHS students stand up against bullying, stereotypes against homosexuals, everyone
By JONA ISON
Gazette Staff Writer
The black clothing and silence of more than 50 students at Chillicothe High School may have seemed as if students were in mourning. In a way, they were, but the aim of their silence had much more behind it than sorrow.
Students of the recently formed CHS Gay-Straight Alliance wanted to reach out to their peers and the community by participating in the National Day of Silence.
"It's a day of protest and it's a national day. It's a way for us to outreach into our schools and community ... The point we are trying to get across is we are trying to break the silence," said Richard Walsh.
"It doesn't cost anything to be part of this," added Jaclyn Morris. "All you have to do is not talk."
The day began a dozen years ago when University of Virginia students wanted to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) name-calling, bullying and harassment on campus. Friday's event was in memory of Lawrence King, an eighth-grader from California who was shot and killed in February by a classmate. King's sexual orientation and gender expression is believed to be the motive behind the shooting.
"It's a good way to educate and that's our whole purpose here," said club advisor Kristy Stapleton of participating.
Students of all backgrounds and sexual identity participate in the Day of Silence each year, and in 2007 students from nearly 5,000 middle and high schools registered as participating in the day, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network Web site.
Principal John Payne felt the club's desire to celebrate the day of silence went along with the district's recent focus on bullying policies. All Ohio school districts were mandated by law to adopt policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying by December 2007. Districts also were required to adopt procedures for documenting, investigating and reporting complaints.
"With the emphasis on bullying and harassment, I think their message is people shouldn't be bullied or harassed whether it's race, religion or sexuality," Payne said.
The initial idea to form a group to unite students and promote tolerance began late last school year, but Morris said it was too late in the year to get things going. So in fall 2007, Kaila McGarvey and Walsh started to move the club idea forward by approaching Payne and going from there. Although not yet sanctioned by the board of education as a club, Payne said the club follows district guidelines for clubs such as having an advisor in place.
"I thought it was important to have a more open atmosphere here in the school," McGarvey said.
The need for the group evolved from witnessing student harassment and homosexual slurs being thrown around in casual conversation.
"I've heard insults and stuff and people get made fun of," Morris said. Athletes who have been open with their sexuality have been ignored by teammates, she added. "(We want to) get rid of the stereotypes, that if you're gay that you're automatically attracted to everyone of the same sex."
Another of the group's concerns is the use of words such as "gay" and "faggot" as if they are synonymous with "stupid." A 2005 GLSEN National School Climate Survey reported 75.4 percent of students heard derogatory remarks based on sexuality often while at school, while nine out of 10 reported hearing the derogatory words used synonymously with "stupid."
"We try to have an environment that no one is discriminated against ... and that includes the homosexual community," Stapleton said.
The first Gay-Straight Alliance was created by a heterosexual student nearly 20 years ago, in the fall of 1988. Since, more than 4,000 alliances have registered with GLSEN, the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students.
"I think (the club) is a very important thing in the community. We don't really have anything like this for youth," Walsh said.
CHS' club creation comes on the heels of the Stray Cats at Ohio University-Chillicothe which organized last fall. Although Stray Cats is a college organization, it is open to members of the community.
To view the photo from the article visit the following link:
http://chillicothegsa.topicboards.com/day-of-silence-2009-f17/newspaper-...