Combination
education
"DIVERSITY DAY." Warren Hills
Regional High School spends day embracing cultural
differences.
Saturday, April 08, 206 • By KAT MAIN • The
Express-Times
WASHINGTON | Students at Warren Hills
Regional High School didn't have to sit through math,
science or history Friday.
But that doesn't mean they took a break
from learning.
For five hours they took part in
"Diversity Day," a program of culturally enriching
activities organized by the school's Diversity Program
Coordinator Ann Steinreich.
Senior Cory Orlando, 17, said he was glad
the school took time to open his eyes to other
cultures.
Living as a Caucasian teenager in
Washington, he doesn't really get the opportunity to
interact with races other than his own.
"It's really interesting to find out
about different types of people, events and activities
(that) I think a lot of people are unaware of," Orlando
said.
To Steinreich, "Diversity Day" isn't just
about learning, she also hopes to prepare students for a
diverse world.
Steinreich said roughly 18 percent of the
student population is non-Caucasian. Although the number has
grown from 3 percent in 2001, it does not represent the
world population.
"The world does not look like Warren
Hills," she said.
Students also heard presentations by
Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Steven Siegel, who spoke
on the "State of New Jersey's Bias Intimidation Statute,"
and Luis Mercado, global-management global access manager
and HISPA-director of AT& T who spoke on "Diversity in
the Work Place."
Siegel told students harassing someone
based on religion, sexual orientation, race, gender, color,
handicap or ethnicity could get them arrested, according to
the state statute.
"I'm not here to scare you," Siegel told
a 10th-grade audience, "but I want to make you aware that
the things you say can put you into jail. And one stupid
mistake can change your whole life."
Juveniles commit 50 percent of all biased
crimes ranging from name calling to physical altercations,
Siegel said. At Warren Hills, two students have already been
arrested, he said.
"Young adults are very vulnerable at this
time in their lives. This is the time to stifle bad words
and bad deeds so that they never escalate," Siegel
said.
The statute also increases the penalty
for juveniles and adults who commit bias-related
crimes.
The sentence for arson, if found to be
biased-related, is increased from three to five years to
five to 10 years, Siegel said.
Also Friday, students spent time in
groups listening to talks from Centenary College students,
teachers, state police and representatives from the Warren
County Domestic Abuse and Rape Crisis Center.
Reporter Kat Main can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by
e-mail at kmain@express-times.com.
© 2006 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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