MANSFIELD — Students at St. Peter’s High School and Junior High were allowed to break dress code Wednesday in recognition of “Respect Week.”
Youngsters wore orange to show support of Respect Week (Feb. 13 to 17), raising awareness about healthy relationships during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in February.
According to loveisrespect, one in three teens in the U.S. has experienced some form of abuse by a dating partner.
“Good, healthy, safe relationships are important at all levels, and when you start to date one person then you need to really respect each other’s boundaries,” Principal Michael Wasiniak said.
Sydney Genter, a junior, was among those dressed in orange. She said the timing of this event was fitting, given that yesterday was Valentine’s Day, which can often skew people’s perspective, causing them to value materialism over what really matters.
What really matters is “the quality of the relationship and love,” she said.
Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop noted the significance of initiatives such as this.
“For too long we’ve ignored that segment of our population,” he said. “Our kids are our most important asset, and I think that rather than looking at past failings, we’ve decided to be proactive and look at what we can do for current and future generations to promote healthy relationships, which goes along with our theme of youth violence prevention.”
Attorney Jeff Heck also spoke to the students about ending distracted driving.
