LEWISTON — One teacher witnessed students making homophobic comments in a classroom, but did nothing to intervene. Another teacher made an insensitive comment about transgender issues, making students feel unsafe around them.

It was these incidents and more that inspired students at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School to found the Culture, Awareness, Respect and Education Team, otherwise known as CARE. As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at Bates College, members of the team and Principal Paul Bickford spoke on a panel about their work to create new perspectives for the school’s employees and students.

“When we took this to Mr. Bickford, he suggested we start this group,” senior Cedar Worster said. “And from there, (CARE Team) came out of one bad thing that happened. Taking the negative things you’ve dealt with and turning them into positives is really important to think about.”

The CARE Team’s aim is to bring awareness to issues regarding equity and inclusion. Their work engages teachers and staff through professional development, and their peers during annual Respect Day workshops.  

“We bring in outside resources to help diversify what students are exposed to,” senior Raye Travers said. “Respect Day is our big event where teachers and outside organizations come in and offer workshops, to help us learn more about the world we live in and the other people who live in it.”

When CARE Team began creating professional development criteria, the group used student surveys to share data with adults on issues that mattered to them.    

“We also work with adult staff. It’s the students who determine professional development opportunities for them,” Travers said. “We go out in the school community, to enrich experiences of staff members, give them guidance and understanding of issues of equity and diversity.

A student panel also participates in teacher workshops to share perspectives about their negative or hurtful experiences in class.  

“When the student on the panel talked about (witnessing homophobic comments) before 175-200 staff members, you could hear a pin drop,” Principal Paul Bickford said. “Because they recognized that this is going on right now” in the school.

Sophomore Elja Partridge recalled the impact a workshop focused on language about disabilities had on teachers.

“It was cool how teachers came in expecting a regular staff workshop and left having learned something really interesting,” she said. “The powerful thing about it is hearing it come from students — that we talk about our experiences to the teachers.”

After holding workshops, the CARE Team does assessments of what worked and did not, using the experiences to improve how future workshops are developed.    

The very first Respect Day brought two nonprofit organizations as workshop presenters. The most recent featured more than a dozen.

“I think people don’t know how much of a difference they can make just by acknowledging something exists,” Worster said. “This group formed after a racist remark in our school. There were repercussions, but a group of students started the conversation of why we had this happen in the first place. One simple micro-aggression created a snowball effect of people talking.”

Oxford Hills social studies teacher and CARE team adviser Travis Palmer said he wants the team to inspire other rural communities to start taking the same steps as the CARE Team.

“I grew up in a small, rural mill town,” the Bates College graduate said. “We didn’t have opportunities to have these conversations but it’s important for rural communities; they are just as deserving to have them. Students should have access to them . “I’d love to see other schools and other rural places see what these students are doing.”