Community seminar presents hazing warning
Attendees at Monday’s anti-hazing seminar listen to Dennis Goodwin, co-founder of the Anti-Hazing Collaborative, as he speaks at Franklin Township Fire Company in Lehighton. DANIELLE DERRICKSON/TIMES NEWS
Dennis Goodwin pressed start.
A years-old news report began to play, detailing the 2017 death of 18-year-old Max Gruver. Gruver, a former student at Louisiana State University, died during a hazing incident while trying to join the ranks of Phi Delta Theta, a fraternity.
The day following his death, Gruver’s blood alcohol level came in at four times the legal limit. “I mean, this shouldn’t happen to anybody,” Gruver’s mother, Rae Ann Gruver, said in the report, which ended with a photo of the mother and son’s last embrace.
Goodwin pointed out that following their son’s death, Gruver’s parents worked toward legislation to stop hazing — just like parents in Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania did after losing their children in hazing related incidents.
“It’s going on in every community in America, we just don’t know it yet,” Goodwin said to the crowd of teachers, administrators and parents gathered at Franklin Township Fire Company on Fairyland Road in Lehighton on Monday.
Goodwin was halfway through the first of four presentations he planned to deliver on behalf of the Anti-Hazing Collaborative, an organization he helped found that educates communities on the dangerous practice.
Locally, an alleged hazing at Lehighton Area Middle School has resulted in an unknown number of juvenile referrals being filed in Carbon County court. Authorities — including Carbon’s district attorney, Michael Greek — have remained hush about the incident and the investigation it sparked, as it involves minors.
In his presentation, Goodwin encouraged teachers, coaches and parents to be proactive in the fight against hazing. He said students should be taught about hazing and its dangers, and communities should work toward empowering and protecting its victims.
“Let the legacy in every community say, ‘We stopped that (hazing). We changed the paradigm,’” Goodwin remarked.
Autumn Abelovsky, who sits on Lehighton Borough Council, brought her 12-year-old son Landon Abelovsky and his friend, 11-year-old Konner Nalesnik, to Monday’s seminar. Both boys are sixth graders at Lehighton Area Middle School.
“I think Landon and Konner are really great kids, but I think even the greatest of kids can get pulled into peer pressure,” Autumn said.
“Parents don’t always know everything that’s going on, so I just think that any type of reinforcement to the positive behavior is a good thing, and that’s why I decided to bring them.”
Landon and Nalesnik were the only two students to attend the first presentation. When asked what he took away from it, Nalesnik echoed a statement Goodwin made earlier, where he encouraged kids to aspire for more than just academic success.
“It’s good to be an ‘A’ student, but be an ‘A’ person as well,” Nalesnik said.
“I couldn’t have said it any better,” Landon added to his friend’s remark.
Comments
At some point I am pretty sure Rita Spinelli was there, allegedly telling the DA the Lehighton board supported the event. Sadly, evidence to the contrary has been well documented.
For weeks leading up to the free event repeated written requests to the entire board, and specificly the board President Larry Stern along with his wife's boss, Superintendent Cleaver, were made. Apparently, the effort to to make morning announcements, public announcements, put it on the calendar, invite staff, invite students and parents, or use the robo-call, PTO announcements etc was to great a burden for the board to suggest or authorize.
Apparently, Larry, Wayne, Nathan, Steve and Rita all failed to encourage the administration to support the nationally acclaimed motivational speaker on the subject. The failure to protect the students and curb injuries has been the legacy of their evil, rubber-stamper, ways.
Sad, given the great benefits Autumn Abelovsky's family, and the others in attendance apparently recieved.
Did the Lehighton Borough, or Borough Police promote the event? I saw a few Palmerton Police officers in attendance.
The utter lack of support, and participation by the board, administration, and their staff leads me to believe this district management is still in circle the wagons mode, protecting the good 'ole boys, the exact opposite of progress.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Rita Spinelli apparently stopped in.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Good afternoon, we'd like to extend our sincere thanks to the Attorney General's office, the District Attorney's office, Carbon Monroe Pike MHDS, and New Perspectives' for their support of the AntiHazing, AntiBullying awareness and educational event. The program, 'Making of Heroes', presented by Dennis Goodwin, co-founder of NoHaze.org, was well recieved by those that attended the event.
The motivating program exposed many to the statistics and the proper attitude and actions that aide in prevention. Awareness, training and increased accountability of the actions taking place in our government schools will improve as more teachers, coaches and parents experience the program.
The emotional presentation exposed the community to the tremendous harm each act of bullying or hazing can cause. This event was just one more step forward on the path of preventing these autrocities from occuring within a community.
Sincerely,
Charmaine & Dave Bradley
Event coordinators
I have shared 41 of your newspaper comments with our entire Psychology department in the major Middle Altantic university that I attend as a doctoral candidate. The consensus of these esteemed educators indicates that you commonly practice 75 percent of the normed characteristics of an individual predisposed towards bullying and hazing type activities. It is actually obscene that you condone your infantile and self-righteous behaviors yet claim that others are in need of interventions. Your actions and convoluted rational/reasoning actually results in your readers/listeners becoming dumber! You are also a terrible example for young people! Move along people, nothing to see with Citizen Kane/Dave but ugliness and simple-minded rhetoric!
That is why I chastised Wayne Wentz for his attempts to silence our constituents. And, regularly chose to use my opinion and avers to take Larry Stern to court for documented actions showing apparent Sunshine violations that he pled immunity to, TWICE. Someday, this district will remove the evil, and citizens will one again have their lawful authority over their publicly elected servants.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
Honey or the Sticky paper?
It is said one attracts more flys with honey. But, do we really want more flys? And in the government world honey is often is found in the application of schmoozing, political favors in hiring of political allies, neopitism and cronyism along with aggressive lobbying or political action committees. Director Wayne Wentz said in one of his tyrates "Kiss my ass". Just look at the Reach Committee activities.
The district's spending is out of control and some students are being physically injured on our government's school grounds. Since the political favors consumed much of the resources and failed to protect many students, it is time to remove the honey pot. It is time for the sticky politicians to be stuck, this is also known a lawful transparency. By exposing those disgusting poo eaters currently sucking on the last bits of honey, the stakeholders' can see evil for evil, and lobby for their resignation, or use PA School Code and remove them for their neglect of duty.
Let's review the list
Failed to file an Annual Financial Report
Failed to mitigate the known risks
Lack of reporting can equal fines
Smart people don't hire lawyers to fight the constitutionality of the RTKL with educational funds.
Comply with the Sunshine Act
Moral people apologize they don't seek immunity.
List of responsibilities
Protect the students
Supervise the students
Hire professionals, and oversee them
Balance the budget
Seek stakeholder input
Honor the oath.
Save the community
This sea of corruption is deeper than any local lake.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
I suggested we take free consultations prior to releasing major contracts, like staff benefits. I was blocked by people the rubber stampers like Director Andrew Yenser and Director Larry Stern. One of these two is now curbside, kicked there by knowledgeable voters, the other needs to be, but we may have to settle for a resignation. Ever look back as just how horribly Andrew Yenser apparently failed as a treasurer of a government school? Sent those voting records in for evaluation.
Citizen Davie, as the tormented citizens as he watches ineffective government management let kids be bullied, hazed and assaulted is being called a bully as he attempts to steer immoral officials to act moral.
Our government, acting as the feckless rubber stampers, and my ideas, SPEAKING UP against the bullies in the room that are shaking ever tax dollar from poor people using their attack hounds is evaluated. Honored. These feckless five give their blind-trust and we the victims suffer under an immoral regime are called the bullies? I wish I had more adjectives I could politely use, but I am just a meager Citizen Dave, fighting the biggest government bully on the block with the freedom of a first amendment. God Bless America.
I wish %©€• was appropriate, and ¥÷©®¢€, and &)- @#$/ /&($#@$+'!$_.
They would better identify Larry, Wayne, Rita, Steve and the betrayer of moral actions, Nathan - voter of the preliminary budget. My morality says those words are definitely not &)-_#!@ng suitable to use in public, so I chose not to. I have the one thing these knuckleheads don't appear to have, a good moral character. Even while being a character, Citizen Dave, I still have character. I can ensure the students are protected and the community saved if the five would just get the heck out of the way.
Sincerely,
Citizen David F. Bradley, Sr.
PS. Thanks for caring enough to have the obviously repeated rants evaluated. Very nice of you.