economist sunsuntribune learning saturday dec w 2005 by teresa latcmlord k nangingout in illhpth the of your high school peers and the conversa- i chat which is harmles el mssabbssmkl becaqsenone of ydiir classmates go unreported which doesnt sur- w krystle miller a grade 11 t at newmarket high or stuctenticlont see sexual remarks as harassment of course i make sexual jokes but they are just jokes andrew scarff newmarket high school grade 12 student jyould voice my opinion if i sffended she said but unfits share an understanding narassea in scnooi sfn of j efflwrnffif v andrew scarff a i grade 12 student said is been in the same school for four years and she has never feen it hap- f hther iripipsurprisedthere are jnky harassment said of coue imake sexual jokes but they are just jokes to andrew sexu al harassment means making advances on a girl when she doesnt want it not harm- jpess conversation that most of his friends pick up from tv music arid the media the reason nothing is re j could be because stut are doubtful an edu cator could put a stop to the ftgament or some are simply w too uncomfortable to speak up a rig to mary cosentino superin- 1 mwk i tendent of secondary schools for the york catholic district school board it kind of puts students in an awkward situation to reply im offended in front of all their peers that may think the joke or comment was funny she said there are many instances where students dont think it is cool to tell on their peers no mat ter what is going on she added however not reporting harassment may prolong the sit uation and be physically and mentally damaging to me victim the york study also stated girls being sexually harassed are more prone to depression and a lack of selfesteem whereas boys become more delinquent steal ing skipping school etc arid are more likely to engage in sub stance abuse this is why it needs to be dealt with said pam turnbull head of guidance at richmond green secondary school so many things in our lives have been sexualized by televi sion that students see it as accept able behaviour she said this seems to be the way teenagers relate to each other while trying to determine what kind of behaviour is accept ed by their peers and being at the age where some may be begin ning to explore their sexuality many teenagers want to see where the line of inappropriate and appropriate lies we as teachers need to clear ly state what is acceptable and enforce it ms turnbull said this means when walking down the hallway and hearing these comments we need to stop and let the student know that is not appropriate sexual harassment is included in many antibullying programs and also integrated into the cur riculum to let students know what it is and its consequences while giving them an opportunity to talk openly on the subject if caught harassing students can face different degrees of pun ishment including parental noti fication suspension recommen dation for expulsion and in extreme cases police involve ment ms cosentino said the best gift for everyone 1 m ashgrove spa for a better looking lifestyle gift certificates gifpbasjps dayspa packages 6633 hwy 7th suite 304 markham tel 9052010343 ysnvwashgrovespacom we wish you a beautiful holiday season health and happiness