02/04/2015
Presenters: Words Hurt Week 2014-2015
Thursday, February 5
Hour 1: Hindsight is 20/20 - Betsy Thoma
Ms. Thoma is a high school Special Education teacher at Appleton East high school. She will speak to students about the effects of bullying and her personal story of being bullied in high school.
Hour 2: Stand By Me - Special Needs Department and Students
Students with cognitive disabilities, along with Life Skills pals, will showcase their amazing abilities and stories of personal reflection. They will show that when you “stand by me,” no mountain is too tall.
Hour 3: The Weigh It Is - Margaret LaFleur
Ms. LaFleur is a band teacher at Appleton East High School. She will speak about her experiences with eating disorders as well as give background about what it means to have an eating disorder.
Hour 4: Stress Relief Through Music - Student Singing Group
Students at Appleton East will express themselves through music and dance to show how they relieve stress.
Hour 5: NOVA High School: Creating Our Own Media In the Face of Bias - Maria Peeples and students
In Milwaukee, youth and community members have been fighting back against oppression and violence for decades, with the most recent death of Dontre Hamilton sparking protests over the last 8 months. One key component of these stories lies in the media, and Milwaukee youth are working hard to craft their own narrative that speaks out against the way Young People of Color are criminalized and harassed. Students from NOVA Middle and High School, along with Maria Peeples, a graduate of Appleton East, will be talking about their experiences creating a multi-media project that attempts to tell their own stories in the face of this violence.
Hour 6: Ragdolls - Henry Golde
Henry Golde, a survivor of the Holocaust, will speak to students about his experience.
Hour 7: Think Before You Gender- Amney Harper and Emmagene Cronin
Amney Harper is a graduate professor at UW-Oshkosh in the professional counseling department. She will speak to students about what it means to be transgender and will bring along an undergraduate student from UW-Oshkosh, Emmagene Cronin, who will speak about her experience living as a person who is transgender.
Hour 8: “Did you hear what happened last night?” The effects of the stories we tell - Renae Reljic
Renae Reljic is a graduate professor at UW-Oshkosh in the professional counseling department. She is also a licensed counselor. She will speak to students about how one night and one rumor can affect someone in high school.
Friday, February 6
Hour 1: Living with Autism - Terry Cane-Petersen
Terry Cane-Petersen is the Speech and Language Program leader and works part-time at Appleton West as an SLP. She will define what it means to have autism.
Hour 2: Staying Sober and Pursuing Passions - Alex Belville
Alex Belville is a student at the UW-Oshkosh. He will share his story of overcoming multiple addictions and through it all, learning to love himself and his passions.
Hour 3: Dignity (For Women & Men, Boys & Girls) - Shannon Kenevan
Shannon Kenevan is the President for Voices of Men, an organization in the Fox Valley that makes a clear and powerful statement that committing, condoning or remaining silent about men's violence against women and children is not acceptable.
Hour 4: Erasing Stereotypes through Native American Arts and Culture - Wade Fernandez
Wade Fernandez is an American Indian Performing Artist.
Hour 5: East High School and Lawrence University Native American Student Panel
Students from Native Pride and Luna, the Native American group at Appleton East and Native American group at Lawrence University, will speak about the negative impact of sports mascots and words that hurt them.
Hour 6: Stigma and Mental Illness - NAMI and Amy Jordan, school psychologist
Amy Jordan is a school psychologist in the AASD school district. She will speak about her personal experience with su***de. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness in the Fox Valley will also speak about mental illness and the stigma that surrounds it.
Hour 7: The Life of a Recovering Alcoholic and Drug Addict - Keegan O’Brien
Keegan O’Brien is a teacher in the AASD school district. He will speak about his struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Hour 8: Battling Your Weight...and Winning! - Wayne Vandenlangenberg
Wayne Vandenlangenberg will share his journey and transformation from being an over 600-pound man to an under 200-pound man. He will describe the bullying and discrimination he endured at 600 pounds to his success and appearance on The Biggest Loser.
