Five Lawrence high school students in the Heritage Panel program shared stories of trial and tribulation, and strategies for dealing with adversity, with fifth-graders at East Heights School.
Stephen Moon was picked on so much in school he became a bully.
Holly Garber went against the grain and chose not to do drugs or drink.
Dominique Cornelius and Erica Bread felt the glare of cultural prejudice.
Carolina Farwell's disability prevented her from reading above the second-grade level.
These teen-agers attend Lawrence public schools. All faced great challenges. All absorbed ridicule from peers for being out of the mainstream. All overcame ignorance to come to grips with their situation in life.
And, to their credit, all joined Heritage Panel, an organization dedicated to championing respect for racial, cultural and religious differences.
On Monday, the five students visited a fifth-grade class at East Heights School to share their experiences and dispense advice for dealing with people who find fault in diversity.
Moon, a junior at Free State High School, told the students in teacher Sharon Daniels' class that students made fun of him in third grade because of the way he dressed. His mom couldn't afford to buy him the latest fashions.
To counter the harassment, Moon began fighting his critics. He used his fists in an effort to gain respect. Instead, he became a bully with no friends.
"The way I handled the problem was wrong," he said.
He said students in a similar situation should turn to teachers, counselors and others for support. Talking is better than violence, he said.
Barber, a senior at Lawrence High School, said she decided in fourth grade not to drink alcoholic beverages, consume illegal drugs or engage in premarital sex.
"As I got older, different people thought that was silly," she said. "A lot of my friends tease me."
Barber said it takes guts to stand up for personal beliefs that don't match the perspective of peers. The best approach when challenged is to explain the decisions were a personal choice deserving of respect -- even to people who don't grasp the rationale.
Farwell, an LHS junior, said disabilities shouldn't keep students from setting high goals.
"I don't know what it's like to read," she said. "All my textbooks are on tape."
Yet, she takes advanced courses in high school and is involved in independent research projects.
Cornelius, a senior at LHS, and Bread, a senior at Free State, have dealt with a cultural bias against Native Americans that stings.
"People who don't know you judge you by the way you look," Cornelius said.
Folks have even made fun of her first name -- Dominique.
She said it wasn't wise to respond to rude remarks with hostility.
"What we need to do is respect everyone else. That's the kind of treatment you should get back."
Bread told the fifth-graders that it was wise to respect their teachers and parents.
"You need to listen to them and respect them. They really care about you."
-- Tim Carpenter's phone message number is 832-7155. His e-mail address is tim@ljworld.com.
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