MEXICO – It has been a busy school year for Rape Education and Crisis Hotline Educator Debbie Barker as she had the opportunity to work with teachers and staff at Oxford County schools.

Barker gave two presentations on sexual harassment to two of Erica Grimaldi’s eighth grade science classes at Mountain alley Middle School, and will be returning to make presentations to all eighth-graders in the 2007-8 school year.

“Erica is a forward-thinking educator who believes in empowering students by providing them with the information to help make them aware of how to get help and what to do if they were ever in a sexual assault crisis,” Barker said.

Being proactive with students is important, Grimaldi explained, to they have the information necessary to make sensible decisions about their actions with others and keeping themselves safe.

As a result of the REACH presentations, students have learned that rather than feeling no one will back them up if they are being harassed, they are empowered through role play that they will be backed up, even if the students aren’t their friends. The students also become more aware of what harassment is and isn’t and how much words can hurt.

There is a school-wide program at Mt. Valley Middle School called Culture & Climate where teacher-led teams meet weekly to discuss positive changes they could make to improve the school. The program was started by Assistant Principal Ryan Casey and Beth McDonald, an eighth grade special education teacher. The group has invited guest speakers, encouraged students to treat each other respectfully, written a code of conduct and planned future mentoring programs.

Grimaldi has also started a program for girls at the middle school called Adversaries to Allies: A Curriculum for Change, which is offered by www.hardygirlshealthywomen.org. The program is for seventh- and eighth-graders and they meet weekly to address the issues of girl-to-girl aggression and bullying.

School librarian, Amy Ryder, is very involved in coordinating the culture and climate program, and has stocked the library with reading materials that feature health topics that complement the program and that meet the needs of the students.

REACH offers services for victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse through a 24 hour support help line, support groups, book lending library, and education in schools and the community. To contact REACH for school and community presentations, call Barker at 743-9777. For the 24-hour support line call 1-800-871-7741.