MARCH 21, 2008
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northwest
Celebration Getaway
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CELEBRATION
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in-room surprise, and a bottle of
Play about bullying banned from Sherwood;
drama teacher under investigation
chilled Champagne
awaiting your arrival.
by Jaymee R. Cuti
c / '■y/A
x / U
’Reservations required. Price shown based on
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herwood Middle School drama teacher
Sunday thru Thursday stay m Deluxe guest room
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S
Jennie Brown received e-mails of sup
port from parents, students and teachers
across the country when her play, Higher
Ground, was banned.
available at upgrade rates Reg'Stered guest
must be 21 or older to receive alcohol.
J
WE HELP PROPERTY OWNERS
But many of those e-mails didn’t reach Brown.
Without explanation or warning, the administra
tion changed her e-mail address, opened an in
vestigation on the teacher and canceled the play.
Brown continues to teach at Sherwood but has
not yet been told what she is being investigated
for.
...LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS
“As far as I know, it’s because I wrote a play,”
said Brown.
....... ..
The show—an exploration of the scalding
$30
adolescent social scene—was deemed too mature
MANI/PEPI
COMBO
for the school, where Brown has taught for two
REC. $»
years and has been a district employee for eight.
COMPLETE
NAILS
She has sought legal representation through the
Oregon Educational Association during the in
vestigation.
Brown says she’s never clashed with the district
before, but Higher Ground’s gay content caught
the eye of some parents, who sent three letters to
Sherwood Middle School students performed
the uncensored version of their banned play,
A Higher Ground, at Portland Center for the
Performing Arts.
her and principal Anna Pittioni objecting to the
play’s portrayal of the “homosexual lifestyle.”
district board meeting March 5.
Pittioni did not return Just Chit’s calls seeking
“This is a serious issue, not only for the school
comment, but she told The Oregonian that the
and the kids but for this community,” said Mar
play was banned because its “content exceeds the
tini. “Not every Sherwood resident is white, Re
maturity of many of our students.”
publican, Christian and straight, and those people
Irate, confused and frustrated, Sarah Grant,
who aren’t deserve the same acceptance and re
a parent volunteer whose son, Freddie, was set
to perform the role of a bully who finds his con
spect as anyone else.”
Joyce Clow, a Portland PFLAG board mem
science and voice through the course of the two-
ber who spoke at the meeting, offered resources
hour prodoction, confronted Pittioni.
for teachers and counselors on how to create
“I asked her if the primary reason for consider
and maintain an environment safe for all fami
lies, teachers and queer or questioning youth.
ing the content too mature was the homosexual
theme, and she said she had several concerns but
She said she is in contact with the Gay, Lesbian
if that theme remained in the play, she’s afraid it
and Straight Education Network and would like
appeared that Sherwood Middle School endorsed
to help Sherwood Middle School start a Gay
that lifestyle,” said Grant. “I was horrified. It wor
Straight Alliance. Martini has volunteered to be
ries me that by trying to prevent this play from
the group’s parent representative.
Banned at Sherwood, Higher Ground was res
offending people, she was defending bigotry.”
ceived sexual orientation makes him the target
cued by Portland Center for the Performing Arts
assistant executive director Lori Kramer. The
of bullying by his immature classmates. The plot
show enjoyed two sold-out performances March 9
touches upon bullying toward all sorts of devia
and 22 at Brunish Hall downtown.
tions from the norm—a Latina student, a group of
“We felt it was worthy of getting an audience,
and the kids really needed to be able to perform
it after all that hard work,” said Kramer, whose
Higher Ground is the story of a boy whose per
Goths who refuse to conform to the Abercrombie
set, a round-cheeked girl who is called “cow” and
several other stereotypes familiar to all survivors
of middle school. The play contains no vulgar lan
guage, no sexual situations and no gay characters.
“The message was that kids have power in
numbers and don’t have to be afraid to stand up
for each other and that words they use can be in
503.922.0600
grandson is a middle schooler. “I believe it was
very age-appropriate. It was a tame version of
what kids deal with every day in middle school.”
Brown agreed. “I think people need to pay
closer attention to what kids are doing and give
them credit for being savvy.”
Despite the overwhelming response to the per
credibly hurtfill,” said Brown.
Kathryn Martini, a lesbian parent of three stu
dents in the Sherwood School District, contacted
formance of Higher Ground, Brown said the play
would no longer be performed by the Sherwood
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and
Middle School cast. She said other districts have
Gays and Oregon Safe Schools and Communities
Coalition, which sent representatives to a school
expressed interest in the script, though, so the
show may yet go on. ©
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