Names Can Hurt
NEIRAD enilno edition
One word, one phrase, one remark, can have a lasting impact upon another human being’s life. When a bully at Mentor High School in Ohio told fellow classmate Eric Mohat, 17, "Why don't you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you," this comment resulted in Mohat’s untimely suicidal death. The quiet but likable boy, who was involved in theater and music, was called "gay," "fag," "queer" and "homo" in front of his teachers. Most of the harassment took place in math class and the teacher was accused of failing to protect the boy. High school bullying is a prevalent issue in high schools across the country. Darien High School’s Names Day program attempts to sensitize the freshmen student body to this important issue.
Ms. Mammana, who co-advised Darien High School Names Day with Ms. Ladd, first became involved in the Names Day program four years ago. Darien High School will host its fourth annual Names Day program this semester. The Names Day program requires a number of student and faculty volunteers. These volunteers meet for a total of six hours preparing for Names Day. The volunteers participate in team building activities and learn the skills necessary to lead and facilitate a student discussion concerning bullying at Darien High School. Six to eight of the student volunteers appear on a panel and share various experiences with bullying. Freshmen students are then given the chance to share their own stories through the use of an open microphone.
The Connecticut Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League coordinates Names Day programs in high schools in this area including Darien High School. Facilitators Cyd Slatoroff and Anne-Marie Brungard from the Anti-Defamation League work with students and teachers at Darien High School. The Names Day program is one way that Darien High School is “helping students to build a more open and respectful environment for everybody,” explained Mammana. It enables students to become more aware of their surrounding school environment.
The availability of the Names Day program to students has changed during the last four years. Originally, the Names Day program was offered for several grades at once school-wide. Mammana explains that “the program is now logically just for freshmen. Because of the nature of the program, it is more valuable to participate in it once as freshmen.” Sophomore, junior, and senior year students are able to participate in the program as classroom facilitators and panel speakers. This year the Names Day team includes 50 student volunteers. These students share stories of their experiences as bystanders, allies, and perpetrators. “The program is tailored to help more students in our community become allies. Most students are categorized as bystanders. The goal of this program is to help these bystanders become allies,” explained Mammana.
The Names Day program plays a vital role in making people more aware of the community around them. It makes them more sensitive and thoughtful about verbal bullying and social ostracizing at Darien High School. Darien High School junior Galen Rohn was selected to speak on the panel this year. “I am excited to share my story with the underclassmen and hopefully to make a difference,” says Rohn. According to Rohn, verbal bullying and social ostracizing are two of the main forms of bullying present in the Darien High School community. “Students often don’t realize when they’re leaving someone out and are not as conscious of their words,” explains Rohn.
While Names Day has had a very positive impact upon the population of the Darien High School community in raising bullying awareness, it does not stop there. Names Day programs are run nation-wide. In Massachusetts, schools observe a “No Name-Calling Day” as part of state anti-bullying legislation. When Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a revised anti-bullying legislation last April, students petitioned to add their own provision to the law—a “No Name-Calling Day”. According to the new law, the purpose of the “No Name-Calling Day” is to “increase public awareness of the devastating effects of verbal bullying, to encourage students to use positive dialogue and pledge not to use hurtful names on this designated day, to promote tolerance and respect for differences and to reaffirm the commitment of the citizens of the commonwealth to basic human rights and dignity.”
