After months of planning, organizing, and spreading the word, Lindenhurst’s first annual Face It Week proved to be an overwhelming success! The week-long event was focused on the effects of bullying and discrimination, especially online, as well as making an effort to expand the use of technology in the classroom. Face It Week, run by Ms. Flannelly and Mrs. Miller, had a plethora of different events that students could attend during lunch and other free periods.

                Since the rise of social networking websites, cyber bullying has been an issue for many people, particularly teens, for a number of years. In regards to what inspired Face It Week, Ms. Flannelly explained “I was disturbed by the number of ninth grade students involved in online drama and bullying. Too much of the day was spent putting out these fires. I wanted to demonstrate that the exorbitant amount of time students spend on their cell phones could be put to better use.”

                The week-long technology event was not only in the name of raising awareness on the subject of bullying, but also to help those in need. A number of events such as a teacher/student XBOX dance-a-thon allowed students to donate money for the Craniofacial Children’s Association, a non-profit organization which helps to improve the quality of life for those whom have facial differences. The organization’s motto, which is “Beyond the face is a heart,” is something that everybody can learn from.

                The week kicked off with the assembly for all grades which was titled Stories of Substance, and is composed of a group of actors performing skits based on real stories submitted by teenagers about their life experiences. The vignettes sound from drunk driving to becoming addicted to video games like the Halo series. The group gave away bracelets with their motto, “Think About It,” on them after the assembly had ended.

                Not everything for the week-long event, however, was entirely run by faculty members. Face It Week saw the teachers and students of our high school come together in a big way. A majority of the events were planned and run by students involved with the program to help educate and spread awareness to their peers. The students organized a variety of events that focused on anything from homophobic bullying to cruelty to animals to providing clean drinking water to people in third world countries. There were also a number of events held in the rotunda during lunch periods such as a the XBOX dance off and a DJ playing music for students to dance to. Even teachers reaped the benefits of this week-long program with a number of faculty-only technology workshops.

                But Face It Week didn’t just “face” our building. Our very own dance classes and Thespian Troupe visited Albany Avenue elementary school to teach the children about the negative impacts of bullying. The thespians performed seven short skits written and submitted by the fifth graders and the dancers performed a few dances about positive self-image from their Evening of Dance lineup. The dancers also performed at the high school at an afternoon “tech tea” for local senior citizens from Lindenhurst’s Rainbow Center, where the seniors were giving basic technology training.

Perhaps the most popular event during Face It Week was the motivational speaker Rohan Murphy. Murphy was born with a rare leg condition where his legs were essentially backwards and had to be removed when he was a child. In high school, Murphy joined the neighboring Islip High School varsity wrestling team and became one of the best in the state. Rohan also wrestled for Penn State during his college years and was featured in a commercial for Nike. Hundreds of students attended what was originally supposed to be a two-class assembly with Rohan Murphy in the library and he became the talk of the school for the remainder of the school week.

                Overall, Face It Week proved to be an enlightening experience and a major success for the school. The program’s new approach to an ongoing problem was quite effective and the events that Face It Week provided really united the body of our school in a brand new way. But what part of that week was the best of all? Ms. Flannelly remarked, “What was most touching to me was the number of students who emerged as leaders because of their compassion for injustice in our world.”