Every 6 minutes, according to a Saturday Night magazine article, a gay or bisexual male teen in North America attempts suicide. There are so many factors that contribute to depression and suicide that it's hard to pinpoint what the main ones are. Was it their culture? Was it their family? Was it teasing at school? When statistics are so high for a particular group, you have to wonder how accepting the people around them are.
If you're a teenager you spend at least 30 hours a week at school. Because the time at school is such a large chunk of life, it is necessary to look at how the school environment is affecting these young people. School and peer interactions play a huge part in creating suicidal thoughts.
A 2000 (New England) study of homosexual teens found that young men were more likely than young women to be targeted for verbal abuse, and 46% of participants overall stated they had been verbally abused.
Thirteen percent of participants had been physically abused. Almost 70% of the abuse disclosed had taken place at school, which means that school is a more violent place for these young people than the streets.
Imagine you realize one day that you feel attracted to the girl beside you in math. You notice the way she twiddles with her pencil and imagine what her breath would feel like, up close. The only thing is, you also are a girl, and you never expected that you would feel this way. "That's so gay!" "He's the biggest fag ever." "She's so butch and manly." "Dyke!"
Comments like these are heard too often throughout the halls of our school. In the JCI girls' washrooms there has been graffiti attacking girls known to be lesbian, giving out their phone numbers and exposing them.
Although one comment may seem harmless when examined as an isolated incident, it can cut deep for a teen struggling with their sexuality.
One of the most common examples is calling things'gay'. Words like these originate from a prejudiced place and send out the message that being gay is bad.
"It is such an undercurrent that they don't realize it's wrong. It's been tapped into our brains that it's okay to do it [make rude comments]," says one male OAC student. Guidance counselor Ms. Fricker compares this type of 'systemic' homophobia to systemic racism; that it is built into the structure of the system and part of the culture.
She goes on to say that, "Students have come to me with pain and fear that they might be gay, and that once they did come out, their friends would withdraw." Why? Because their friends carelessly toss out jokes that do a lot of harm.
"I am sure that if JCI was given a survey that asked, 'Do you hate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people; do you think they should be hurt, they would say absolutely not. But they still make comments," says Ms. Fricker.
There is the worn-out statement that people are homophobic when they are worried that they are gay or lesbian themselves: imagine Billy-Bob, the hormonally charged youngster who wants to affirm his manliness by making fun of gay guys.
"If young guys see a gay guy looking at them they run away," says Ben Clarke, a former Jarvis student. Asma Desai, a female OAC student says, "It's not even about words. I think it is just a mentality. I think it is a kind of insecurity.
"There are heterosexuals who say nothing, and then there are the ones who are rude and are really blunt about it. They may be struggling with their own sexuality, like they are trying to defend their manliness and cover up something else, especially if they are being very overt about it."
What do some students think of the JCI atmosphere? A female Grade 12 student says, "I think Jarvis is homophobic, basically. In terms of sexuality I don't think we [Jarvis] are very open. I think the administration is as open as a politically correct school should be, but you can tell that they aren't too comfortable with it."
"Since we got here in Grade Nine, I think this school has gotten more homophobic, not less," says Kate Ranachan, an OAC student.
"Oh, come on! Think of an Arts school where people run down the hallway, flaming in bright colours with a feather boa and it's normal, and then look at Jarvis," says a male Grade 12 student. "I think Jarvis has a long way to go before you can call it accepting."
It is true that in a recent assembly where bullying was mentioned, attacks on sexuality were not brought up. But not many specifics were listed in this assembly so it would be unfair to single this out. But do GBLT students at Jarvis feel safe to come out? Is there even a remotely supportive environment here?
People are afraid to tell their peers to stop the name-calling because people could call them gay for standing up for gay rights. It is important to become aware of the comments we make. 1 in 10 people are estimated to be gay, lesbian or bisexual and according to some sources, that is too small a number. Where are these people? They are afraid to come out because they don't see a safe, gay-positive environment in our school. Or maybe their parents' culture is not accepting.
Students from a few different cultural backgrounds were posed with the question of what their culture's attitude towards homosexuality is and what would happen to someone if they came out to their family.
"I'm part of the first Canadian-born generation in my family," says Jackson Li,18, a student of Chinese background.
"If someone came out as gay or lesbian the parents would probably force their child to change their name. They don't want the family's name to get a bad reputation." What about Sri Lanka? Venthuran Vathsalan, 18, says, "The people who have been here for a long time are more accepting. When people first arrive, they make jokes because they are shy and uncomfortable [with homosexuality]. If a child tells their parents that they are [gay or lesbian of bisexual] then the parents would probably lose all contact with the child forever, they wouldn't want to see them. The parents are concerned with the family keeping an image of being respectable and have the man-and-wife-mentality. They encourage young children to grow up straight."
"It would be frowned upon. I am not too sure of the cultural attitude but I assume that they would treat it like a family secret and not discuss it with the child or relatives," says a male student who was born in Trinidad.
"If you see two men holding hands here, everyone on the streets will yell at them and throw things. I think the parents would kick [them] out of the house," says Lorena Falconi, a friend who lives in Ecuador. "People don't approve of it, they say it is against the church."
A 2001 Quebec-area study reported that 36% of gay or bisexual males would attempt suicide at some point in their lives. This is happening to people at our school, too. "I have talked to some [GLBT] kids who said at times they might kill themselves," said Ms. Fricker. Change doesn't happen overnight, but you can start by discontinuing the use of derogatory slang, and stopping gossip about our peers' sexual orientation. You could end up saving a life.
Peer Leaders at Jarvis: a lost cause?
By Molly Gardner
Do you remember your peer leaders in grade nine? You know, the ones that talked to you on the first day of school when you felt totally lost, and like a complete outsider to the whole highschool world? How important were they to you?
With the advent of the new provincial curriculum introducing T.A.P (Teacher Advisor Program) the role of the Peer Leader at Jarvis has changed, and there are far fewer senior students willing to do the job.
Peer leaders originated as a student-led group of about 80 students called "SOS" - Students for Students. These volunteers met with grade 9 homeforms for the first week of September and conducted group activites with the intention of making grade nines feel more comfortable at Jarvis.
Sally Jordan, the current Head of Guidance, a newcomer to Jarvis at the time, decided to use the students' initiative to start a peer counselling group in connection with the Guidance Department. A group of 30 students voluntarily met for six months weekly at 8:oo AM to train in active listening and decision-making skills. The intention was to have a group of senior students who were able to meet one-on -one with grade nines that needed someone to talk to. Unfortunately, when the peers were ready to go, and the " Request for Interview" boxes were set up in the Guidance office, very few grade nines requested meetings.
After that honorable attempt, the Peer Leaders formed, doing variations on what SOS had done in the past. They became involved with various grade nine initiatives including sitting in on 40 minute class meetings after lunch (which were not popular with students or peers) and later, information sessions where peers visited homeforms once in a while discussing school issues like exam preparation or students' rights and responsibilities, etc. Training, however, which at one point consisted of off site trips to former Education Offices diminished due to Guidance Department staff cutbacks and time constraints. At one point Peers were interviewed when applying for the program but that was also eliminated.
Three years ago, Peers became involved in TAP when it was introduced by the provincial government as a new advisory program.
Bi-weekly T.A.P sessions , like the previous 40 minute lunch meetings were teacher run and required a greater time commitment from Peers. Senior students became far less interested in being involved in the program having to forgo their late 9:50 AM starts times on Wednesday mornings. Some peer leaders felt the time they volunteered
was not paying off due to the teacher's leadership. "The teacher took control so I wasn't needed," remembers Darryl Spencer an OAC student who was a Peer Leader two years ago.
"She [the teacher] did most of the talking so I didn't get to know the students," remarked Ainy Zahid, another OAC student who decided not to continue as a Peer Leader this year. Of the peers who continued with the program many were late or did not attend TAP sessions regularly. The presence of peer leaders in TAP groups became controversial among teachers and some were reluctant for peer leader support the fallowing year.
This year there are 40 students in the Peer Program; however, there are only 15 (half the number of last year) involved with grade 9 TAP groups. Ms. Jordan has decided to make peer involvement in TAP voluntary, hoping that students really wanting to be a part of TAP would be more reliable and dedicated to the sessions. Peers participate in other student support activities like peer tutoring, the collating of the whole school survey, grade eight visits and the Welcome Breakfast, but the connection they once provided to grade nine students has been significantly reduced.
What does this mean to Jarvis ? Do grade nines really want or need Peer Leaders? Emily MacLaurin-King an OAC student, and a present peer leader, feels that the senior-junior connection in TAP is important for all Jarvis students and the atmosphere of the school as a whole. "Many grade nine students don't get the chance to interact with students in other grades unless they decide to participate in team sports or clubs. For some junior students, the peer influence is really important , and it encourages them to get involved in the school themselves."
If peers are feeling frustrated by voluntarily coming in early for TAP and then not being used to their full potential, maybe they should only attend certain sessions geared specifically to being led by peers, more like the model used in homeforms several years ago. Ms. Jordan feels that an effective Peer Leader program needs regular contact between peers and younger students. "It's finding a way to make that happen which poses the particular challenge."
Jordan describes that ultimately there is a need for greater student initiative and enthusiasm, "All in all the program needs an injection of energy and new ideas."
University Rankings
By Tema Smith
For the graduating class of 2002, it is time to apply for university. The choices of schools are so vast that many students do not even know where to start. Some turn to the advice of teachers, guidance counselors, adults in their lives, and peers, while others opt to get information from magazines and books.
Maclean's magazine is well aware of the need to help with these choices and each year, it publishes its annual rankings of Canadian universities in the middle of November. Students across the country snatch up copies of the special issue, which remains on display until the beginning of January and sells for $4.95 plus tax. Others take the extra step and get the full Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities & Colleges, which costs $16.95 plus tax. Both the magazine and the guide, however, present rankings that can be misleading to students who take them as fact.
The rankings categorize universities in three basic ways - primarily undergraduate, or universities with a large focus on undergraduate education with few or no graduate programs of professional schools; comprehensive, which includes universities with significant research activity and a wide range of activity of programs at all levels; and finally, medical-doctoral, which offer a broad selection of Ph.D. programs and research, as well as a medical school.
Criteria include the student body - their marks, their place of permanent residence, the graduation rates, and national academic awards; the faculty - their level of education, national awards, and success at securing grants; the operating budget; scholarship and bursary funds; library resources; and class sizes. Schools with fewer than 1000 students or strictly religious or specialized missions are not ranked.
The Maclean's rankings leave room to be highly subjective, however. Twenty percent of the final ranking is made up of the "Reputation" category.
Five percent comes as fact - how much financial support is received from alumni - but the other fifteen comes from a survey sent out to 7255 individuals in the country. No information is provided as to who receives these surveys.
The people asked to rank universities according to reputation must place them in three categories: highest quality, most innovative, and leaders of tomorrow. The best overall reputation is taken as a sum of those scores.
Results of the reputational surveys tend to be different from those in the overall anking. In the primarily undergraduate category, the top five reputational winners were (in order) Acadia, Ryerson, Mount Allison, Laurier, and St. Francis Xavier.
However, the overall ranking placed Mount Allison first, followed by St. Francis Xavier, Trent, Acadia, and Winnipeg. Laurier came in 7th, and Ryerson was almost at the bottom, placing 19th.
The top places in the medical-doctoral category are almost always reserved for the large Canadian universities. This year's top five were U of T, UBC, Queen's, McGill, and Alberta. Smaller universities in this group almost always place toward the bottom of the list. French-speaking universities aside from l'Universite de Montreal usually place far down as well.
This year, the University of Ottawa (a bilingual school), l'Universite Laval, and l'Universite Sherbrooke (both entirely French-speaking schools) all placed in the bottom five spots - Ottawa in 10th, Laval in 12th, and Sherbrooke in 14th. These very universities, however, have average entrance grades in the top half of all Canadian schools, Ottawa being the lowest with an average grade of 82.4%. These universities, however, lose out to those who are better known to the public as demonstrated in the results of the reputational survey.
The Maclean's rankings are misleading to students who look to them as what is fact about the quality of schools. Based on traditional methods of evaluating the quality of educational institutions and sheer public opinion, there is much room for subjectivity and even inaccuracy in the results.
They should not be relied upon alone when making the choice of which universities a student should apply, but rather as just another opinion, which is as good as what a teacher, peer, adult, guidance counselor, or anyone else who shares their thoughts might have to say.
Semi-Formals only Semi-Successful
By Kate Ranachan
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When the Jarvis Student Council planned the first semi-formal of the year for November 30th, they thought they had covered every detail. The club and DJ were booked and posters were put up throughout the school, advertising the event. What they didn't expect was the lack of response from the students.
On November 29th, a decision was made by the administration to cancel the semi-formal due to low ticket sales. Principal Mrs. McKenzie elaborated on this point saying, "There weren't enough tickets sold. When you want to run a dance, you rent a hall, have refreshments, book a DJ and price the tickets accordingly. It is not the Student Council's job to subsidise dances when not enough tickets are sold."
Neena Nayyar, the Student Council President had this to say about the semi-formal's cancellation, " I was disappointed that it [the semi-formal] didn't happen. Disappointed because, in previous years, semi-formals were a way of socialising with school people outside of school."
The sluggish tickets sales came as quite a shock considering that in previous years Jarvis semi-formals had been quite popular. It was not uncommon to have a couple of hundred Jarvis students dancing the night away. However, a number of new factors have contributed to a lack of interest in the semi-formal.
OAC student James Harnum explains, "The semi-formal is something that is not attractive to people who can smoke and drink on the weekend. And then you have all those people who can't or don't want to attend the semi-formal for cultural or personal reasons."
James's sentiments were reiterated by many of the students I talked to. Many people believe that the increasing popularity of all-ages clubs have contributed to dwindling interest in the semi-formal. This is because before all-ages clubs, the semi-formal was one of the only opportunities that teenagers had to dress up and go dancing in a club atmosphere.
Now, with all-ages clubs, students who enjoy the scene can enjoy it every weekend as opposed to only the two or three times a year that there is a semi-formal. All-ages clubs also allow students to smoke and drink (if students possess fake ID), which are both strictly forbidden at Jarvis Semi-Formals.
Darryl Spencer, the Student Council Vice-President, when talking about the cancellation of the first semi-formal said, "It is a sign of the changing demographics of the school. Fewer and fewer students want to attend semi-formals." Jarvis's demographic has changed over the past few years from a group of students who enjoyed semi-formals to a group of students who are more interested in doing other things, but this change should not be seen as a failure.
It is not the Student Council's fault that fewer people are interested in attending the semi-formal. Neena Nayyar summed it up when she said, "There is only so much we can do as a Student Council if people aren't interested in the Semi-Formal."
Kathleen Trotter, an OAC student, was disappointed when the first semi-formal was cancelled. "I was disappointed because it's my final year at Jarvis and the semi-formal provides an opportunity for me to hang out with people from school that I won't ever see again after this year." Many OAC students have been pushing hard for the semi-formal to happen for the same reason.
The breakdown in the relationship between the senior grades and the nine and tens is another reason given for the low ticket sales. The two younger grades, intimidated by the senior grades, feel excluded from the semi-formal. This is not the case. The semi-formal is open to students of every grade.
After the cancellation of the first semi-formal, the Student Council was given a second chance. A new date of December 7th was set for the semi-formal and the Student Council began to aggressively promote the event. Unfortunately, tickets sales for this second date again lagged, raising even more questions about the importance of having semi-formals.
Darryl expressed the council's frustration when he said, " We put a lot of effort into planning and promoting the semi-formal."
It looked as if once again the semi-formal would be cancelled, but a flurry of last-minute buyers saved it. However, even with these last-minute buyers, the numbers for this semi-formal lagged far behind the numbers attained in previous years.
Many students expressed relief that the second semi-formal was going to happen fearing that a second cancellation would kill off any interest that remained in having semi-formals.
However, we must still look critically at the state of the semi-formal at Jarvis, despite the semi-formal going ahead. Clearly most of the student body is uninterested in such school events and therefore we must begin to plan events that more members of the student body can participate in. Events like Fallfest or Coffee House, two smaller events that proved to be quite popular, may be the solution.
Maybe the problem is that semi-formals are outdated. Many other schools have run into the same problem as Jarvis, with their semi-formal ticket sales much lower than in previous years.
People's interests have changed and school events must begin to reflect that change. Semi-formals aren't for everyone or as Raki Singh, an OAC student said, "What am I going to do there? Dance?"
JARGON NEWS SHORTS
What Is PLAR?
PLAR stands for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. It is a program that allows students to obtain credits toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma for skills and knowledge they have gathered outside the classroom.
To earn the credits the student must demonstrate the skills and knowledge in "challenges" or formal tests and activities during the summer. The challenges can take up to 20 hours during summer school and do not include any teaching component.
A student can receive up to four credits maximum from PLAR and two credits in one subject or field of study. Certain types of technological, multi-credit, and co-op courses are not included.
To apply for PLAR, students must contact the Guidance Office and initiate the process. Students must also submit evidence to show they do indeed have the skills. Evidence includes samples of relevent work like a portfolio. Unsuccessful challenges for Grade Eleven and Twelve courses will result in full disclosure. Applications for the program will be available in Guidance by March 27, 2002.
LEEP
The Learning Enhancement Program (LEEP) is a special fund to improve common areas in high schools, like halls, lockers and libraries. Jarvis has been chosen as one of the schools that will benefit from this program. Jarvis will get a share of $50,000, which will be divided among three schools. Mrs. McKenzie is hoping to get more lockers painted.
Sink or Swim?
By: Ana Saravolac
The Toronto District School Board's finance committee is responsible for reaching a decision about whether swimming in Toronto's 85 pools will sink or swim. Due to Bill 160, the 85 pools, which are owned by the Board are threatened with closure because the bill does not allow funding for non-classroom expenses, which pools are considered.
"We are not funding community programs. We are focusing on curriculum, on education. That has been and is to be our priority," said Minister of Education, Janet Ecker.
Currently the Board spends approximately $12 million annually to maintain its pools, but must cut $88.4 million due to the Board's budget shortfall for the year 2001-02.
"If pools are not closed, we will be cutting music programs or computer purchases," says Irene Atkinson, Chair of the Toronto District School Board in response to the budget cuts.
Because the Board does not have enough funding to save the pools from closure, the Board is proposing the City of Toronto pay $1 each year in rent. There has been no word yet whether the City will accept this proposal.
The possible closure of the pools will affect an estimated 5000 children who take part in the 36 swim clubs offered each year, operating in most school swimming pools. This is particularly detrimental to children between ages of five and twelve years of age who voted swimming to be the most popular form of exercise, after bike riding.
In Canada, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death, after motor vehicle accidents. Therefore, it is in everyone's best interest that all children be taught basic swimming skills to avoid drowning. After all, if they can't swim they can't help save someone in need.
"I am outraged at the thought that my children might not be able to learn how to swim," commented Helen Jacks, a mother of two. "Drowning is becoming a serious problem because more people are not learning how to swim."
Jarvis offers fifty-four hours of swimming each week. A large number of our students participate in swim programs offered through either the school or other outside clubs and programs. Among all Toronto schools there are 300,000 students who take advantage of the swim programs.
"I feel that our swimming pool is an important part, of not only our school, but our whole community," said Evan Duffy, Jarvis's Student Council Vice President of External Affairs.
Evan has already organized a petition for students to sign to keep our pools open. Evan has also organized a letter-writing campaign
concerning the issue, and has already written letters to Mel Lastman, Marguerite Jackson, and the Toronto Star.
While students are concerned about their leisure activities being cancelled, authorities are concerned about the tax dollars spent to build the swimming pools in the first place.
"Their [the pools'] closure not only deprives the children and the community at large of their use, but is a complete waste of tax dollars expended to build them," said Guy Bradbury, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of the Sports Alliance of Ontario.
This whole talk about school closures initiated this year in June during the 2008 Olympic Bid preparations. Regardless that this was not sending out the most impressive message, the Board voted 8 to 1 for closure on May 17, 2001. However, the final decision has not yet been reached. It is obvious that the public school system is failing drastically.
The $84.4 needed in cutbacks comes as an outrage, considering that in June, 2000, many of Toronto's playgrounds were torn down and taken from the children and community. If the Board closes the pools there will be hardly any places left for children to have fun.
"Swimming helps you cool off. There are community pools, but Mom and Dad are busy and it takes too long to get there," said Zach Hunt, a nine year old enthusiastic swimmer.
So the real question still remains. What is the solution if the Board does not have a large enough budget to sustain the 85 pools currently operating in Toronto and if the City won't fund these activities outside the classroom?
Right now it appears that parents and students are doing everything they can to convince the City of Toronto to help but it is still unknown whether they can sway the decision.
Quick Facts on the Double Cohort
and the New Curriculum
-Ontario Universities may have to turn away up to 20,000 qualified students- or one in four who apply.
-Currently the average entrance mark to a first-year Ontario university is 80.5 %. With the double cohort that mark is expected to go up.
-In a survey conducted by People for Eduaction 18 universities were asked if they can prepare adequately for the double cohort. Of the 14 that responded to the question, one university said yes, eight said no, and five were unsure.
-Universities claim they need an additional $100 million a year in operating grants to prepare.
Here is How the Present Curriculum (at Jarvis) Stacks Up Against the Old One:
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