A group of senior graphic design students at Wheeling Park High School participated in a poster contest to help raise awareness of teen dating violence at the high school and communitywide. The winning poster by Tim Morris - voted on by the student body - will be visible throughout Ohio County during April.
Instructor Christine Gronell incorporated the design project into her senior students' curriculum after being approached with the idea by Sheri Horvath, the high school's new dating violence liaison with the Family Violence Prevention Program at the YWCA Wheeling.
Gronell said the students would have been doing this type of work in class anyway, and they welcomed the opportunity to make a difference.
Article Photos
Photo by Betsy Bethel
Senior graphic design students in Christine Gronell’s class at Wheeling Park High School participated in a poster contest to help raise awareness of teen dating violence. Pictured with a display of all five submitted designs are, from left, Trish Flanigan, deputy director, Family Violence Prevention Program; senior Andrew Smertneck; Sheri Horvath, Park’s dating violence liaison through the Family Violence Prevention Program; senior Leland Kelly; Gronell; senior Shun Zhang; contest winner Tim Morris; Debbie Wood, director, Family Violence Prevention Program; and assistant principal Rich McCardle.
"They did a lot of research on the topic," Gronell said.
Andrew Smertneck said he chose a purple ribbon as the focal point of his design.
"It stands for domestic violence, and teen dating violence is domestic violence," Smertneck said.
Morris's design features a closeup of a woman wearing a blindfold and states in purple type: "Are you a victim of teen dating violence? Don't hide your fear. Speak up."
A piece by Leland Kelly shows a collage of photographs of people in various stages of life, from infancy through their older years, "to show how it affects future generations."
Shun Zhang drew a lone female figure seated and hugging her knees. The words: "Stop dating violence. Start caring" are in orange type. She chose orange because it is the signature color of the YWCA.
Asked if she was familiar with dating violence, Zhang said: "I knew about it, but I didn't know it was as often as it appears."
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 10 percent of students nationwide reported being physically hurt by a girlfriend or boyfriend in the past 12 months. Furthermore, a Safe Dates study cited by the CDC found that one in four adolescents report verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse from a dating partner each year.
These violent teen relationships often are precursors to violent domestic partner relationships. And teens who experience abuse are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, like drug and alcohol use, the CDC states in its "Understanding Teen Dating Violence" fact sheet.
Horvath has met with more than 60 students in need of assistance or information since she began working full time on campus in January. She has assisted six students in filing protective orders with local courts. She also started the student group called P.E.A.C.E., which has about 30 members. P.E.A.C.E. stands for Patriots Encouraging Acceptable Choices Every day.
"I am finding that the trust is really building and the more the trust builds, the more I find how prevalent the problems in their dating lives really are," Horvath said.
"She hasn't been here very long, but she has made a huge impact," said Park counselor Ron Scott Jr., who is the co-sponsor of P.E.A.C.E. If a student comes to him with issues related to dating violence, he now can refer the student directly to Horvath's office without having to send the student off campus for services.
"She really fills a void. It's hard to know you have that (service) missing until you fill that void," Scott said.
Debbie Wood is director of the Family Violence Prevention Program, which employs Horvath. She said a position similar to Horvath's is now in place at John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, and she is working with state leaders in the hope of replicating the program throughout the state.