Special visit to Merrick Avenue is well received

hateful acts do occur in their own communities or towns close to home. Calhoun’s leadership students emphasized the seriousness of using hateful speech or symbols and explained that not only could it get people in trouble in school, but also with police.

A “turn-and-talk” portion of the lesson allowed the seventh-graders to talk to one another about instances of hate they may have witnessed.

Brian Joyce, the instructor of Calhoun’s senior leadership course, said he thought the lesson coming from Calhoun students would be more meaningful to the middle school classes than if a teacher taught them.

“We’re leaving Calhoun, and right now, we want to make sure that the kids coming in hold up to the standard of Calhoun,” she said, “so they’re respectful of everyone, and so that everyone knows the right thing to do and to make sure that everyone’s high school experience is good.”

Leadership student Sophia Trippicione added, “We know that particularly antisemitism, but hate speech as a whole, is a really big issue right now. We want to do the best we can to make a positive impact and to try to stop it from happening in the middle schools and high schools in the future.”

Brian JoyCe Calhoun

“When students hear a message from other students, it’s more powerful, especially from older students who they look up to and they respect,” he said. “They hear from adults — their teachers — all the time. So sometimes those voices are drowned out. When it comes from their peers, I think it adds a lot more power and meaning.”

School teacher

Mariel Pusateri, another senior, said the leadership classes inspire change. “It’s really exciting to be part of making a change, even if it’s just within our own community, because that’s what’s important,” she said. “Little change affects big change, so we’re happy to work together and try to help the community in anyway possible.”

Emily Livingston, a senior in the leadership class, said she hoped the presentations would inspire the younger students to be good and respectful people.

While the presentations for the seventh-grade concluded last week, Calhoun’s leadership classes will be back at Merrick Avenue on May 15, to conduct their lesson with the eighth-grade, which will focus less on hate symbols and more on hate speech.

Calhoun high’s senior leadership students led presentations last week at Merrick Avenue Middle School, showing younger students examples of hateful speech and symbols. At left, Emily Livingston in a seventh-grade classroom.