By Dr. Alison Hanks-Sloan, aka Dr. AHS, Aptos High Principal
October is the month of expressing yourself and celebrating who we are. Overcoming and rising above difficult situations has inspired many of the October themes.
Use these recognitions and celebrations as conversation starters with our students, as knowledge helps us all SAIL together.
Latino Heritage
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, our schools honored Latinx Heritage Month. It started with the Independence Days of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
El Grito, the cry of Dolores, on Sept. 16, commemorates Mexico overcoming 300-plus years of Spanish ruling and establishing their independence day. In our county, over 40% of our population is Latinx. In our school, over 48% of our students are Latinx.
This is a window to celebrate so much of our California and national history that has not always been included in our schools. Whether it’s learning a few words in Spanish or learning about a Spanish author, Latinx advocate, or engaging each other in discussions about Latino identity and/or culture.
National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ History Month
Oct. 11 was National Coming Out Day. At Aptos High School, it was our club carnival day, so we are celebrating National Coming Out Day on Oct. 18.
Part of our celebration includes a rainbow decorated door that students and staff can walk through to show and share that they are an ally and/or share their coming out journey, whether it is day one or it has been many years.
Celebrating and recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus history month creates safer and more welcoming schools where homophobic remarks are less frequent (GLSEN.org) and our students gain a deeper understanding of history.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Pinktober finds its way onto our athletes’ socks. At the national level, athletes are seen in pink jerseys, and pink ribbons make their way into the wardrobe. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Men, at a lesser rate, can also get breast cancer. Let the pink be more than a fashion opportunity. Research how to help someone you know who has breast cancer, and then reach out to them. Learn how to screen yourself, and schedule your mammogram if you are over 40.
Donate to the legitimate groups that support research, and dialogue with your family and friends.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Congress designated this month in 1989. In our country, one in three women and one in four men have been abused physically by a partner (National Child Traumatic Stress Network).
Use this month to start or continue conversations with our students about healthy relations. Wearing purple on Thursdays is also a common practice in many schools. We should be safe with the ones we love, and safety includes not being physically or verbally attacked.
Enter the National Domestic Violence Hotline into our phones, so we have it accessible to share: 1-800-799-7233 or text: “START” to 88788. Learn more by visiting thehotline.org.
National Bullying Prevention Month
Bullying isn’t just about being mean to another person; it’s about continuously antagonizing and harassing another to assert power and hurt a person through words and actions.
It is disheartening and real just how important this topic is at our high school. Across the nation, one in five students report bullying behavior, according to weareteachers.com. Sometimes bullying is motivated by gender, sexual orientation, physicalities, religion, race, ethnicity, or something that makes the student different.
It’s happening around us, and it takes all of us in our families to make it stop.
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What do we need to know as families? We want you to know about it by engaging your students in a conversation. Ask them about bullying around campus. Find out if your student is a by-stander, an anti-bullying liaison, a participant, or a victim. If there is bullying happening, talk about the ways to report it.
Our students and families can use STOPit, which is an anonymous reporting system. They also can send an email to an AHS principal or counselor.
If it’s hard for them to discuss, call the school and come meet with us. Ask them what they do when they see someone being teased or taunted. It takes all of us to make our school SAIL values be a reality: Safe community, Aspire higher, Integrity oriented, and Lead by example.
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For this month of celebrating who we are, we also want to give a shout out to our families of Polish, Italian, and Filipino American descent. There is also national custodian day, Oktober Fest, Indigenous People Day, Boss’s Day, and Halloween. Lastly, a shout out to my colleagues for their long hours and true commitment to our students, as it’s also national principal month.