Teens working to ‘Stop the Hate’

Christine Carrillo

“I pledge from this day onward to do my best to interrupt prejudice

and to stop those who, because of hate, would hurt, harass or violate

the civil rights of anyone ... “ and so the “Stop the Hate Pledge” at

Corona del Mar High School began.

Posted on walls throughout the campus, with students’ signatures

collecting on them, signs showed students’ dedication to promoting

unity and tolerance to reach out to one another and make a

difference.

The “Names Can Really Hurt Us” assembly on Thursday at Corona del

Mar High School was part of a program started last year with the Stop

the Hate Committee of the Anti-Defamation League or Orange

County/Long Beach. Corona del Mar was one of only seven California

schools selected to participate in the two-year program.

“It’s a very unique program. There’s really nothing like it,” said

Denise Weiland, director of community services at the high school.

“Students are under so much pressure -- peer pressure, cliques,

name-calling -- they need to have a forum to discuss it ... so they

can understand that they’re not the only person feeling hurt.

Everyone is feeling hurt.”

Teachers, administrators and student leaders received anti-bias

training and hate crime training to help them implement workshops and

assemblies that would tie in with issues concerning their school

directly.

Inspired by the message conveyed last year and its apparent

success, then-sophomores Florencia Krochik and Andrea Savopoles

formed the Tolerance Among People club to continue to “Tap down the

walls of prejudice and discrimination,” as their slogan states.

“I felt there was a lack of tolerance in the schools in general,”

Krochik said. “This assembly is so powerful. It really makes a

difference.”

The assembly included student panelists who shared their personal

experiences with name-calling, exclusion and other forms of prejudice

to about 380 sophomores. There were also small group discussions

during which students generated ideas to improve their school

environment.

“I think the toughest challenge was breaking down the barriers and

telling our stories,” said 15-year-old Andrew Wong, one of seven

student panelists to speak at the assembly. “I think I speak for all

of us that even if other people give up, we’re not going to give up.”

Although the school’s two-year grant has ended, Corona del Mar

High students were inspired to continue. They are now working on

raising money to fund an assembly next year.

“It’s much harder to be a jerk than it is to be nice to people,”

said Clay Widder, one of the sophomore panelists. “You have a

choice.”

And for some of the students who participated in the event, that

choice is simple.

“If you just smile -- that’s really all it takes,” said

15-year-old Thomas Pearson, one of the event facilitators.