positive start after last
year
School officials aim for
positive start after last
year’s difficult ending
By jane waterhouse
Staff Writer
For students at Red Bank Regional High School, the 2001-2002 school year ended on a cliffhanger, with racial tensions and expulsions, bomb threats, innuendo and unrest. But Dr. Edward Westervelt is determined to see that the new school year begins on a note of tolerance and healing.
To ensure that the members of the high school administration staff are starting off on the same page, the superintendent invited the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to conduct an all-day seminar at the school on Aug. 29.
The ADL program, titled "A World of Difference," is geared toward understanding prejudice and discrimination and the harm they inflict on society.
"We had a few incidents last spring," Westervelt said before the meeting, referring obliquely to the fact that a female student had been accused of using a racial slur, thus sparking off a series of bias-related events that appeared to bring simmering discord and distrust to the surface.
In the aftermath, several students from Union Beach were suspended from the high school and subsequently labeled as "skinheads" in the press. The accused students have yet to appear before a governing board to tell their side of the story.
When asked whether those students were expected to return to Red Bank Regional High School yesterday, Westervelt indicated that he didn’t know for sure.
"Before they’d be allowed to come back, they’re required to appear at a formal hearing," he explained. "The one — the girl — it’s doubtful that she’ll return."
Minutes before the ADL training began, Westervelt qualified these earlier statements.
"I want to make it plain that there is no direct link between those incidents and what we’re doing today," he said firmly.
"This seminar is part of our professional development program — an extension of our ongoing commitment to diversity training, which we’ve been doing for the last three years."
He then turned the program over to Yvonne Taylor, who, along with her colleague, Mara Gottlieb, facilitated the six-hour workshop for the group. The dozen participants — including the superintendent, principal, assistant principal, department heads and dean of students — listened with interest as Taylor described her own background as a teacher in District 31 of the New York public school system.
After taking an early retirement, Taylor heard about the "World of Difference" program and found that it perfectly suited her need to connect with people on important issues of bias and tolerance.
"I hope you will feel free to share as much as you are comfortable to share," she told the group.
Taylor kicked things off with a brief history of the ADL, which was founded in 1913 after the B’nai Brith responded to the lynching of a Jewish factory worker named Leo Frank.
"The ADL was first formed to fight anti-Semitism, but it soon began fighting against bias in every form," Taylor said.
Taylor listed the goals of the "World of Difference" program. She said the group would begin by confronting their own and one another’s biases. They would challenge stereotypes that inhibit understanding, take personal responsibility for preventing discrimination and be given techniques for combating prejudice and discrimination. Finally, they would be asked to identify factors within Red Bank Regional High School that might promote inter-group understanding and break down barriers.
The facilitator explained that the course was based upon several assumptions — first and foremost being that prejudice is a learned behavior, and as such, can be unlearned.
Westervelt agreed.
"Just look at the root of the word," he said. "Prejudice is pre-judging."
Participants were encouraged to use "I" statements when expressing their opinions rather than qualifying themselves as a member of a particular group.
"Often people ask me, ‘How do Afro-Americans feel about that?’ " said Taylor, who is Afro-American. She smiled. "I tell them, ‘I really don’t know, but I’ll ask next time I have them all over for a cook-out.’ "
In a creative exercise called "ROPES," the 12 administrators came up with their own set of conversation ground-rules. Afterward, the facilitator added two of her own.
"Sometimes a person can step on your toes verbally without even knowing it," she said. "When that happens, just say ‘ouch.’ If, on the other hand, you catch yourself creating an ouch, just say ‘oops.’ "
The remainder of the program — which, due to the personal and sensitive nature of the topics being discussed, was closed to all but the 12 participants — consisted of interpersonal exercises and case studies.
"Developing a Common Language" dealt with issues of language and the power of words.
A self-identity exercise posed critical questions to each group member — i.e., "Who am I?" and "How do I relate to others?"
"Concentric Circles" demonstrated how one person’s actions could affect others.
A 50-minute video, Eye of the Beholder, explored what happens when someone is discriminated against over something for which he has no control — i.e., the color of a person’s skin or eyes.
The program ended with an institutional assessment, strategies for action and an overall evaluation.
"The strong point of the ADL training," said Westervelt, "is that it’s tailored to fit our school’s specific needs."
Taylor reminded the group that confidentiality would be the watchword of the day.
"We’re going to be discussing things that are very sensitive, very personal," she said. "It’s important that what’s said in this room stays in this room."
But it was evident from the enthusiastic participation of the administrators that they were hopeful that what was being done in the room would have a positive ripple effect in corridors and classrooms all over Red Bank Regional High School.