Students throughout Shoreham-Wading River High School have pledged to stop the use of discriminatory slurs in their everyday language and interactions. The proof is not only in the students’ careful handling of language, but also in the hundreds of names that have been autographed on the sign in the school’s A-wing as part of the Use Another Word campaign.
    
“We are trying to bring awareness to how offensive certain words and names are to other students,” student Ben Dalecki explained.
    
In addition, concerned student Jennifer Etienne recently wrote, directed, and starred in her play entitled “The Evolution.” The high school audience was taken through a progression of history (i.e. the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement) and compared how these events are talked about in the classroom and how certain ethnic groups are construed today. “It’s [the campaign] about the bigger picture and the real world,” Jennifer stated.

Caption: Students (l-r) Erik Udvadia, Emilie Kulesa, Samantha Lacovara, Ben Dalecki Jackie Edward Godfrey, Emma DelliCarpini and Jennifer Etienne are standing in front of the sign where students can pledge not to use discriminatory language.