“Some of the News That’s Fit to Print”
September 24, 2012
The VA Voice Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont 05154 “Discere verba et opera Dei”
Vermont Academy Watches “Bully”
By: Brittany Allard On a Tuesday morning, at eight thirty in the morning, the entire VA community, roughly 300 people, loaded onto numerous buses, big and small, and went to the Bellows Falls Opera House to see the documentary “Bully”. The film chronicles the lives of a number of students who have been victims of bullying. This documentary has been viewed by a national audience, and has had a serious impact on the students who have watched the film. “Bully” depicts the lives of numerous students from middle school to high school who have experienced extreme bullying in their lives. The stories included students being beaten up because of their appearance, ostracized due to their sexual orientation, and bullied in other ways purely for their personalities. In the film, we see parents and administrators trying to figure out a way to stop the bullying issue with varying levels of success. Students from VA had a variety of reactions to the film. Melinda Provost, a Canadian student, had the following perspective on Kelby, a gay American student. “It was good for Kelby to try and stand up for herself, but she finally realized it was time to back down.” In this statement, Melinda is referring to Kelby being bullied because of her sexual orientation. She didn’t want to let the other kids win, but the bullying never stopped. She finally moved to start a new life with the support of her parents. People were struck by the administrators’ inability to improve the situations for a number of students. One assistant principal discussing a boy being beat up on the bus said, “The kids are good as gold.” What she failed to realize was that their behavior was unique while she was on the bus. This was a valuable experience for everyone at Vermont Academy because it raised awareness for an issue that plagues every school in this country. The students and teachers alike gained a better understanding for the consequences of bullying on our campus and beyond, and this movie will hopefully bring about positive change here at Vermont Academy on the subject of bullying.
Volume 17, Issue 1
IN THE MARGIN Romney Releases Tax Returns Mitt Romney on Friday released his tax returns from 2011 and from years past due to pressure from Democrats. The returns revealed he paid a 14% tax rate of $1.9 million dollars in 2011 for an adjusted gross income of $13.7 million. Unrest in Middle East Continues Violent protests erupted around the Muslim world and particularly in Libya against a video produced in America that pokes fun at the prophet Mohamed. These protests have already lead to the death of a US diplomat. Chicago Teacher Strike Ends A strike of the Chicago public school teachers crippled the city of Chicago last week as 26,000 teachers left work to demand better pay and less teacher evaluation. The decision to end the strike helped the 350,000 Chicago school children return to school after more than a week of no school.