Clubs, students and staff at OHS are uniting under one cause and working together to support an awareness program called “Spread the Word to End the Word”.
Baseball, STUGO, Freshmen Mentors, Spiritline, Friends’ Club and the collaborative student body are working hard to raise awareness for and to stop use of the word “retard” in everyday language.
“The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness and consciousness that the word… can hurt. We have special needs kids on campus, and we want a new word: respect,” said Chelsea Martin, a special needs teacher.
Martin went on to say that the special needs students on campus are actually really excited to be able to advocate for this cause and stand up for themselves in a safe environment. She said that it is good for them to be able to speak up for a cause that is close to their hearts and hers.
Baseball is also taking up the responsibility of the campaign: at a game on March 27 against Sheldon, Oregon the team wore jerseys reading “Spread the Word to End the Word” and three special needs students threw the first pitches.
“This campaign means that kids and people in general need a filter and not use words that hurt…whether they realize it or not,” said Coach Jeff Baumgartner.
OHS is providing students many ways to aid the cause.
“We are supporting, honoring and pledging to stop the use of the word retard,” Baumgartner said.
The Freshmen Mentor club on campus is also doing its part for the campaign. They put together the E.P. videos, created activities to raise awareness and gave students an opportunity to pledge to stop using the word at lunch.
“We are raising awareness,” said Natasha Jahani, a junior, “the kids do get hurt…a lot of them have special qualities that aren’t recognized.”
She described that the job of Freshmen Mentors is to be role models for everyone on campus and to go above and beyond for this campus to be a safe a friendly environment for all of its students.
Including the special needs students.
“As Freshmen Mentors…we need to go above and beyond… to make this school better,” Jahani said.
That is just what these students and staff are trying to accomplish through this campaign. The result of this cause is more than awareness of a word, it is bringing the entire campus together to stand up for the good of its students.
“We are recognizing that the word is hurtful... more than trying to remove the word entirely we are making people more aware of its hurtfulness,” said Paulina Smith, a junior and president of the Freshmen Mentor program.
STUGO handed out bracelets that said “Spread the Word to End the Word” and Freshmen Mentors gave stickers and ribbons to those who pledged to stop use of the “R-word”.
OHS has gone activist, and the whole campus has come together to spread the word: Respect.