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Schools

Holly High School Students Find Common Grounds

Holly hosts Gay Straight Alliance Club, while Lake Fenton and Fenton schools are open to the idea.

A comfortable environment. A relaxing place. A safe area. 

All of that is offered by Common Grounds, which is not the newest coffee café in Holly but rather a new club for all Holly High students which promotes belonging and understanding through the Gay/Straight Alliance. Common Grounds was established in the fall of 2010 because Cody Hecht, a student at Holly High, wanted to find a way to respond to suicides within the homosexual community. Hecht shared his ideas with classmates. 

briefly had a GSA club a couple of years ago, while   has a character education program that shares some of the same teachings and is open to all students.

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“The students approached me and asked if I would be willing to be their sponsor. I’m comfortable with all kids, and I wanted them to have a safe place and allies,” Holly High School English teacher Amy Jo Hughes said. “I am honored that the kids trust me and feel safe. I want to have the Gay Straight Alliance students and supporters viewed as mainstream and show everyone that people are people.”      

Many schools across the nation have GSA clubs, and some are several years old. Allyson Stanley, the sponsor for Grand Blanc High School GSA, said, “I believe GSA can positively impact schools because many of the meetings focus on accepting people for who they are. Regardless of whether students are gay or straight, kids are bullied for many different reasons.”

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Lake Fenton High School does not have specific programs for Gay/Straight Alliance, but it does have character education programs which teach the same fundamentals as Common Grounds. 

According to Lake Fenton Principal Jerry Kramer, there is a process for developing a new club. First, there must be student interest and an adult sponsor. The next step is a meeting with the principal, who then discusses the notion with the superintendent. Finally, the superintendent presents the information to the school board. 

“There has to be approval by the Board of Education," Kramer said. “If there were student interest and an adult sponsor for a GSA club, I would sit down and talk with them and hear what they have to say.

“We approach all groups the same, and they are treated the same regardless of race, sex and religion.”  

If a GSA club was established in the school, Lake Fenton resident Samantha Sisk’s initial reaction wouldn’t be one of support. However, she wouldn’t oppose it or speak out against it.

“Every child has a right to feel safe, and the positive results for the community would be understanding, knowledge and acceptance,” Sisk said. “Not necessarily agreement, but acceptance; accept people for who they are.”

Fenton High School requires student interest and an adult sponsor to begin new clubs. Proposed clubs must complete a one-year pilot to determine student interest and evidence of activities. Once the pilot is complete, the principal discusses the club with the central office and lobbies for it.

Currently, Fenton High School has NHS, Student Council and Key Club. The requirement for Key Club is simply being a Fenton High School student.

“The focus of Key Club is clearly on community service to help others,” Fenton Principal Mark Suchowski said.

Suchowski said he wouldn't treat a GSA organization different than any other group.

“If I were approached about a GSA club, I would follow the same pattern for any other club," he said. “We actually had a GSA club a couple of years ago, but it couldn’t gain momentum.”

Some Fenton students and parents believe a GSA club could be a benefit to the school.

“There are many students who don’t feel comfortable because of name-calling, bullying and lack of understanding," Fenton High School student Madison Kautman said. “A GSA club would create a better environment for all students because it would help with understanding.”

“If there were a GSA club in the high school, I would hope the community would react positively,” stated Fenton resident and parent Helga Kautman. “In this day and age, it’s necessary, just like there is support for any other group whether people agree or disagree,” she said.

Fenton resident Kim Wheeler stated, “Fenton has always been known for tradition. However, they have done the IB (International Baccalaureate) schooling and they are on the cutting edge now.

“I don’t think Fenton would see a GSA club in a bad way; it would open communication and dialogue.”

Wheeler said a GSA club would be a positive move toward recognizing everyone is different and that society is changing. 

“It may be the school that has to teach the community tolerance, because this issue is out there and isn’t going away," she said. “We are all here because we love the community and the people in it.”

Holly High School Common Grounds students said the club gives them a feeling of acceptance and the chance to educate others and quell any rumors. Initially, the students said club was not well received by the student body.  Members stated that fliers were torn down and parents were calling the school with questions and concerns. Yet, this did not stop them. It gave them the opportunity to inform and educate others.

Today, concerns about the club have been alleviated, students said. Fliers are not dismantled, parent phone calls have ceased and the environment in the hallways has improved because of increased understanding of GSA; in other words, they are on common grounds.

“The administrative and staff support is phenomenal from the superintendent, the principal, both assistant principals and numerous teachers who have stepped forward to show support," Hughes said. 

Common Grounds students, ranging from ninth- through twelfth-graders, meet every other week. The club has numerous activities planned. No Name Calling Week will have schoolwide events such as purple shirt day, a kindness chain, a movie night with proceeds going to Tom’s Shoes and Youth Dialogue Day with the Holly Youth Coalition. Common Grounds will also honor the National Day of Silence on April 15.

To learn more, visit glsen.org or gsanetwork.org.

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