By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
Eighteen students from the University of Alabama recently traveled to Salisbury High School to give students a lesson in acceptance.
Salisbury High Principal Dr. Avis Williams, who came to the school in July, said she wanted to address the nationwide issue of bullying.
“I don’t think our problem is any greater here than any other school,” she said. “Sometimes young people don’t realize how hurtful what they say is to other people when they are teasing and joking among friends.
“We want to make our school a more inclusive, more welcoming place.”
Thirty-one Salisbury High school students from a variety of backgrounds and ages participated in the two-day Heritage Panel workshop.
“I chose students who I felt like would be leaders,” Williams said. “What I hope they take away personally is a greater sense of what it means to treat others with acceptance and respect. I also hope they take that information and share it with others.”
The Alabama students received training from the Young Women’s Christian Association of Central Alabama, which created the anti-bullying program.
Aaron Brazelton, executive director of the Heritage Panel at the university, said Salisbury is the first school the students have traveled to, but they hope to do training at schools across the country.
Brazelton said the first thing they did when arriving at the school was establish trust between the students. Then, they worked on commutation skills by focusing on the importance of dialogue versus debate.
Alabama senior Michael Forst said the curriculum focuses on helping students express who they are. He said students talk about what’s important to them, what they identify with and how those things create a diverse group.
“The program is really built around using those stories to learn from one another,” he said.
Alabama junior Kamron Rashid said when the group first arrived at the school they immediately noticed what you would expect from any high school, students segregated themselves into groups.
“Now everyone is intertwined and unified,” he said. “It’s brought out a lot of openness and people are stepping out of their comfort zones.”
Salisbury freshman Quson Brown called the experience exhilarating.
“It’s great because you get to take the information you learn and share it with the students who need it most,” he said. “I know now that I can better myself and help better our school.”
Salisbury freshman Tarik Woods said the workshop has definitely changed him.
“I feel more capable of listening and understanding students now no matter what their background,” he said.
Alabama junior Alison Beasley said she’s glad she got a chance to work with the high schoolers.
“We had no idea what to expect from them, but it makes me feel good they are picking up on what we have taught them,” she said. “I’m glad we are teaching them early and opening their eyes to things they might not know. This will give them the tools to deal with things in the right way.”
Williams said the visit is in conjunction with national bullying awareness month.
“It’s not something that we want to leave alone after October is over,” she said. “Making sure we have a positive school culture is part of our school-wide focus and this is just a piece of that puzzle.”
Williams said the Heritage Panel has been a very enlightening experience for students.
“It’s been really powerful to see them thinking and hearing their realizations as they uncovered stereotypes and dug a little deeper from the surface of what they know about each other,” she said. “I really hope it will stay with them through this year and beyond and push them to take action.”
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
Twitter: twitter.com/posteducation
Facebook: facebook.com/Sarah.SalisburyPost