Fairview High hosts student conference on sexual violence education, mental health

Jan. 8—Fairview High School paused its regular class schedule Friday to offer the RESeT conference, giving students the option to attend sessions on sexual violence education and prevention, mental health, self-care and leadership.

The conference, organized by Assistant Principal Rose Lupinacci with the help of a team of Fairview seniors plus funding from Impact on Education, was created in response to student feedback as the school responds to concerns around sexual violence and multiple traumatic events.

Planning team member Nimita Ankireddypalli, a senior, said many of the themes of the conference were generated at a student walkout in September that aimed to bring attention to the administration's handling of reports of sexual assault and harassment.

"This was a way for the school to act on what we've been asking for," she said. "By taking a day of school, it shows that it is a priority. I'm so happy it's happening."

Senior Tessa Kertzer, a planning team member who coined the name for the conference, said it's an opportunity to normalize talking about topics like mental health and suicide.

"It's a reset for the school to normalize things that need to be talked about," she said. "People have asked for this. It gives me hope."

Interim Principal Terry Gillach said students and staff members have been hit by multiple traumas in the last few years, in addition to the sexual violence cases.

Several students have died by suicide, including a student who died over winter break. The pandemic has created ongoing school disruption and stress. A gunman killed 10 people in March at the south Boulder King Soopers — Fairview's "second cafeteria." Seventy-six students and several staff members were evacuated or lost homes in last week's Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 900 structures.

"Students and parents and community felt like the school was in such turmoil at the beginning of the year," he said. "We heard from them that they wanted more education, more information, more ways to address mental health. For us, it was a priority to have this during the school day as part of their education."

Friday's sessions were led by a mix of community members and educators, including several former Fairview High students. Fairview alum Benjamin Tarasewicz, a musician and actor, talked about the intensive therapy he needed to rewire his brain. Alum Cat Zingano, a professional MMA fighter, led a session on "Self defense, offense mentality and healing."

Students could hear from Boulder Valley's new Title IX coordinator and the new restorative justice coordinator, as well as Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who led sessions on sexual assault, mental health and juvenile justice. Other sessions covered taking a gap year after college, the love languages of teens, and fentanyl, street drugs and Narcan.

Suicide and depression were addressed in several sessions, including one session on navigating the aftermath of suicide and another on how to help a friend.

Staff members from Boulder's Moving to End Sexual Assault, or MESA, addressed supporting those who experience sexual violence, intervening in harmful situations and creating a culture of consent.

In the culture of consent session, MESA'sConnie Roberts talked about setting healthy boundaries and supporting a friend who has been sexually assaulted by listening, believing them and helping them find resources.

"Avoid giving advice," she said. "We can can feel pretty broken and vulnerable. Just listen. Be an ear."

Messages of victim blaming — how many drinks did you have, how many times did you say "no," did you try to get away — allow people to feel safer because they don't have to believe it could happen to them, she said. But, while it's "hard and scary" to acknowledge it could happen to you, it's necessary, she said.

"Victim blaming encourages rape culture," she said.

A session on "Navigating FHS as a student of color" was led by Fairview Community Liaison Rupali Hofmann, who lost her home in the Marshall Fire. She said she came in just for the conference because the topic was so important. During the session, students said it's the microaggressions and more subtle racism that they want to see the school do a better job of addressing.

One student said she often hears that her school success must be the result of "super strict" parents, taking away from her drive to succeed. Another shared that she tried to make herself appear "less Indian" by avoiding gold jewelry and allowing people to mispronounce her name. A third said people often comment on how good her English is or that she doesn't "look so brown."

"It takes so much energy all the time to educate people," a student said.

Students also talked about what qualities they want to see in the school's next principal, saying the principal job so far has looked like "a long line of white men."

Gillach has been serving as the interim principal while the school district investigated allegations made in a lawsuit that involve longtime principal Don Stensrud, who was on paid administrative leave last semester. Stensrud retired effective Dec. 31, and the district now is searching for his replacement.

At Friday's session, students said they want a leader who supports multicultural education, who will make an effort to reach out to all groups of students, who will make listening — and responding — to students' concerns a priority, and who is OK with acknowledging being wrong and trying to improve.

Along with sessions that required tough conversations, students could spend time in self-care rooms, creating art, dancing, singing, doing yoga, meditating and learning about nutrition. Two of the most popular options were therapy dogs and card games.

Freshman Katie Price visited with Shorty, a therapy dog brought in by one of the school's counselors, before joining a session on playing with clay.

"I love what they're doing today," she said. "It's nice to have a break and get a day to recuperate from everything."

___

(c)2022 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.)

Visit the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) at www.dailycamera.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.