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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1994-11-30, Page 25THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1994. PAGE 25. Local students see play on dating violence A packed audience at F.E. Madill Secondary School learned about dating violence at a recent play put on by the Toronto-based Company of Sirens. The play is designed specifically for a teenage audience with the intent of relaying an important message about date rape. Lincoln Shand, a cast member in the production, said, "It's not about sex or love, it's about violence." He said that this is the most impor tant message being learned from the drama. Fellow cast member James Murdoch added, "Respecting each other's wishes, that's what the play is about to me." The Sexual Assault Violence Brussels PS news Students see Tiddler’ STUDENTS TO CENTRE IN THE SQUARE By Mike Cooper and Mandy Sellers Welcome to another exciting week at BPS. On Nov. 18, the Grade 7s and 8s went to a delightful play called Fiddler on the Roof about Jewish people in Russia fighting for their freedom so they could stay in their little community. We found the play very enjoyable and the music was great. Mrs. Uhler's and Mrs. Clark's classes went to see a puppet presentation on Nov. 22 in the French room. It was presented by Kids on the Block and was about child abuse. We talked to some of Mrs. Uhler's students and they enjoyed it very much. Each student said they learned a lot. On Nov. 23, the Grade 7 class, and the Grade 7/8 class attended a play about sexual abuse at F.E. Madill. The program was Educators (SAVE) arranged for the production. This is a group of F.E. Madill Secondary students who are committed to teaching awareness on the subject. Although the issue of dating vio lence is the main focus of the play, it also deals with other important teenage issues. In one scene a female cast member leafs through a magazine and tries to make herself look like the girls inside. In another scene two males dis cuss their view of a date on one side of the stage, while two females talk about the same date on the other side. The male and female perspectives of what went on prove sponsored by the SAVE (Sexual Assault and Violence Education) group at Madill. Financial assist ance was received from many area businesses - Wescast Industries and Tolton Motors - and service clubs - Brussels Lions, Teeswater Kinettes and Lioness, Bluevale Recreation Association, Howick Optimists to name a few. The program was followed by a discussion period led by representatives from many local social work groups. These included the Huron Centre for Children and Youth, Children's Aid Society, Women's Shelter, Crisis Centre, and the Huron County Health Unit. A training program for student leaders, teachers, and participating social workers had been held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and a package of materials to aid discussion was handed out at that time. Several high school students from the Brussels area acted as to be remarkably different. In order to bridge the gap between the two sexes, the play urges everyone to say what they really mean and avoid any confu sion. The play concluded with a few brief comments from the cast. "Sexual assault is everyone's prob lem," said Caitriona Murphy. The cast went on to emphasize the importance of speaking out against violence and noted some startling statistics to prove the seriousness of the problem. Students learned that one out of every four women will be sexually assaulted or a sexual assault will be groups of facilitators in the discussion periods. Last week was the annual BPS Book Fair. There were lots of books, pencils, erasers, book covers, folders, bookmarks and posters. We hope everyone had a good time. There has been a new arrival at Brussels Public School. On Nov. 22 the school purchased a new clock system to regulate time in the school. Mrs. Clark and her Grade 2/3 class are studying mice. We hope they have a really "mice" time. On Nov. 30 the reports for the first term are going out. Everyone is excited about getting them - some more than others. We regret that in last week's report, Rhonda Hoegy's name as one of our guest readers was printed as Rhonda Higgins. We apologize for the error. Till next week, bye from BPS. attemped on them in their lifetime. An even more alarming statistic is that anywhere from 68-83 per cent of the women who arc assaulted know their attackers. It is also a fact that most men who commit assault believe they will get away with it. In response to the play an unidentified student said, "It was excellent, really well done, it approached the issues in a real way." To reinforce these issues and talk about the students' feelings, work shops were held in various class rooms immediately after the assembly. Here a councillor trained in sexual assault, a SAVE member from the school, and a teacher joined forces to present a more vivid image to the students. "Look to your right, look to your left, someone around you will be sexually assaulted," said teacher Glenn Buck. He went on to explain his expe riences in dealing with children who had been assaulted. "The effects on them were incredible. The power that it has to influence Full line of computer systems and peripherals for your home and office. Call for Details. Microman Computer Store 135 Wallace Ave. N., Listowel Phone: 291-9633 Fax: 291-9634 someone's life is amazing." Caroline Elston, a member of SAVE, also sat in on the workshop. She urged the students to take responsibility for their own actions. Carol McAughey, who works with victims of violence at a shelter in Goderich, discussed several myths about sexual assault with the students. She also talked about male and female stereotypes/in society. "Women arc socialized from day one to be sexually attractive," she told students. She went on to dis cuss the dangers of falling into the traps of traditional male/female roles, which can lead to violence. She said that women who arc raised to be submissive arc often the ones who end up being controlled by violent males in unhealthy relation ships. "Sexual assault is a sensitive topic, it's a topic that can offend, and a topic that you can hide behind and pretend it didn't hap pen," said Mr. Buck in a final effort to get the message across. 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