Path To Graduation: Harassment in High School
Written and Produced By:Faith Sutton, Grade 11, Class of 2016; andRyan VanAmburg, Graduate, Class of October 2015In Partnership With:High School Learning Center at Corning Community College; andCorning- Painted Post Area School District https://wskgyouthvoice.tumblr.com/post/133420401347/faith-experienced-harassment-in-high-school-and
Sexual harassment at school is more common than most people realize. Nearly half of high schoolers in a 2011 study experienced it in a single year. And female students are much more likely to be the victims of harassment. In a school setting with large classes, it’s easy for this kind of thing to go unnoticed.
“With the larger schools, I think a lot of things are under the radar and most people can’t really catch onto it," explains Faith. "Unless it’s too late or there’s a lot of people involved, rather than just one person."My name’s Faith, and I’m 17. I was sexually harassed in a public high school.""I had an issue when I first started, when I was a freshman in high school, with sexual harassment," says Faith. "I went to the hospital for a week and a half. So, that was pretty hard.”
After the incident, Faith had a hard time focusing at school. It was one more contributing factor that made traditional high school harder for her.“The size and culture was tough. The teachers didn’t really seem to care about one person individually passing. It was more about getting the entire class through.”Faith was struggling to make it through high school. She wanted to drop out. But then, she discovered the High School Learning Center. It’s an alternative high school with smaller class sizes.“Now that I’m up at the High School Learning Center, there are less kids and the teachers are focusing more on everyone passing individually and understanding the work, rather than just the entire class.Faith is on her way to graduating from the High School Learning Center. She has two more trimesters. After she gets her diploma, she hopes to attend University of Wisconsin River Falls and study glass blowing.
This video was scripted, voiced, recorded and edited by student producers, Faith Sutton and Ryan VanAmburg. In partnership with the High School Learning Center, students explore their personal path to graduation while learning production skills from WSKG’s youth media curriculum.American Graduate is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.