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Be The Change
By: Katrina Robinson
(C) Katrina Robinson, Friday, January 12, 2007, 6:04:45 AM.
All rights reserved. Republication of this article without the sole permission of Katrina Robinson is strictly forbidden.
We all have those dirty little secrets about our life that we never really want to share with anyone. They range from being trivial to drastic, from smiling even though you are feeling down to hiding a personal drug addiction. We keep these things bottled up inside us for a reason, but exactly why is that?
“I believe teens have trouble telling people about their problems because the majority of the time they feel that they can’t relate to anyone,” Charles *******, freshman, commented. “It’s just that not everybody has someone they can go to for help.”
“I don’t tell my friends what I am going through most of the time. I keep my problems to myself, because some of them are just horrific,” Mike ******, sophomore, explained as he sat on the hallway floor, his eyes downcast and thoughtful. “They wouldn’t be able to help me even if I told them.”
Teenagers today struggle with problems such as depression, stereotypes, drug abuse, family issues, peer pressure, and the dilemma of living up to expectations. To make this article eye catching and jaw dropping, it would require an outrageous statistic proving just how many teens are teased or have been/will be victims of stereotypes in High school. Well here it is: 100 percent of teenagers will face at least one of the problems listed previously, and that can be said without the need for a source. This may not come as a shock to you, but… shouldn’t it? We live through these things every day, we see it around us all the time, and yet nothing has changed for hundreds of years. Are we really okay with walking into school every day knowing we are going to be picked on, insulted, degraded or pressured eventually?
“It seems that everyone wants to stereotype each other! Over the past few years it has just become natural to deal with. I’ve been called ‘emo’, a ‘slut’, a ‘whore’, a ‘prep’, even a ‘freak’. I don’t think anyone really realizes that I am the type of person that listens to those things!” said Marissa *****, sophomore. “When people say I am a ‘whore’ I start thinking I am and I become it! It isn’t fair! It makes me not want to come to school.”
School is the main environment, other than home, that teenagers are exposed to every day. Some believe that High School is a place for learning to juggle responsibility and friends while gaining experience of the world itself. Would trying to make the environment where this act of balance takes place less hostile hurt us any? "It would be nice if everyone could get along. There would be less arguing, and the school would probably feel like a safer place all around,” said Alyssa ****, freshman, with her hands placed calmly in her lap. “But I really think people are already set in their ways; it may be possible to change their ideas, but it will probably take a long time.”
Others think High School is just another obstacle to overcome in order to get by in life, and they would rather leave behind the frivolous activities it has to offer in order to simply graduate.
“Normally when people say something negative about me, I just ignore it. I would rather skip the drama and our forced electives so I could graduate sooner. I just want to get out of here,” commented Mike ******. While there are those who try desperately to avoid drama, stereotyping, and cliques, the likelihood of them succeeding is slim. What if we could take a single day, one measly day out of the year and n** the feelings of distance and neglect right in the bud? Would you be willing to give that time up to feel safe, trusted, and respected each morning when you walk through the front doors of Lakeview High School? Would you try anything?
“Depending on what it is I would give it a try. If I thought it would work or would have any type of long term effects. I would be up for basically anything as long as I wasn’t asked to organize it,” Kurt Miley, English teacher, agreed.
There is a program that is fully organized and already at hand that has been making breakthroughs in High School all across the nation for the past few years. It has even come to several ******* County schools, the most recently known visit was to Dakota High School in ****** Township. There have also been rumors about the program being hosted at Lake Shore. After looking through several documents online, watching countless success stories of the program on talk shows, and asking the opinions of many Lakeview students, it was surprising to see just how impacting this program has the potential to be.
What exactly is this miracle program, you may ask? Challenge day. Challenge day is a six hour program that is supposed to bond teenagers together and prove to them that they are not alone in their problems. It has various activities such as Cross The Line where an adult reads off a list of things and if you fit the group described, you are supposed to cross the line and look at all of those who crossed with you… and those who have not. This activity is so highly recognized that a model of the idea has made an appearance in the newly released film, Freedom Writers.
What is it about Challenge Day that makes it great enough to appear on the big screen? According to the official website, www.challengeday.org, it is the results that amaze everyone. Because of Challenge Day, Waipahu High school experienced a reduction in suspensions from 701 in 2000 to 587 in 2002. At Bangor High School, disciplinary incidents decreased by 24.1% after Challenge Day. Students who had hated someone the day before found themselves hugging, comforting, and crying with that same person during the program. Needless to say, it has the right to be bragging about its results.
“This program sounds pretty interesting,” Music teacher, Jodi Thompson, remarked after looking over a packet of information on the activities. “We wouldn’t be able to do the entire school, but it is a great idea for a few big groups.”
“This might actually help some people, but I know some kids would just do it in order to get it over with. I think some would definitely benefit and learn from it, though,” Miley said, his eyebrows raised in interest.
“I think the response from the student body would mirror the response to Career Cruising and Yellow Ribbon Week, which is overwhelmingly negative,” Chris *****, senior, stated. “It’s unfortunate, but that is just how people are.”
“I think this could actually make freshman feel more welcomed at the High School. It might help them to not be quite so afraid,” chuckled Mario Wood, sophomore. “I would have liked to have done this program.”
Lakeview definitely has it’s troubles. Many students have been feeling unsafe and distrusting of their fellow students because of the amount of bomb threats we have received this past year. This program is supposed to help us all get to know each other a little better, to get us to open up to one another. Maybe amidst the activities will lie the answer to all those questions we are often thinking when we are around each other. ‘Why does she always dress that way?’ ‘Why does he choose to act like that?’ You would be surprised at the answers you may be given, which could be completely different from what the rumors have told you or you, yourself, have expected.
“Last year’s assembly was pretty good and seemed to have effected quite a lot of students, if at least just for a little while. This Challenge Day program sounds like it would be good, too,” Thompson said, a soft smile placed on her lips. Perhaps this is just what Lakeview needs. We’ll never know until we try it. We can overcome the pressure, we can overcome the stereotypes. We do not have to be the typical, dreadful High School. We can be the change.
 Bkg-lessthanthree · Mon Jan 15, 2007 @ 02:58am · 2 Comments |
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