Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance
The Commonwealth of Virginia's Oldest Continuously Operating Nonpartisan LGBT Organization
AGLA and the Safe Schools Coalition Set to Assist Western Australia Teacher and School Implement New Reforms, Make School Safer
A unique opportunity presented itself in late March, 2002, when Suzanne Covich, an openly lesbian teacher from Fremantle in Western Australia, contacted AGLA President Jeff DiGregorio after reading about AGLA's Safe Schools Coalition on the Internet. Many cross-global discussions have since taken place and AGLA and the Safe Schools Coalition is poised to assist Ms. Covich and her school, John Curtin College of the Arts, in Fremantle, to implement education programs for teachers, students and parents regarding sexual orientation discrimination, and to establish and operate a Gay-Straight Alliance at John Curtain based on the successful model established here in Arlington at Yorktown High School by the Safe Schools Coalition and Arlington County Public Schools. We are also studying the feasibility of beginning a "Sister School" program between students and teachers of the Yorktown GSA and with Ms. Covich and her fellow faculty and students. The hope is that year-long communication between students and teachers will benefit those on both sides of the globe. Arlingtonians at Yorktown can assist as John Curtain establishes its GSA and works for equality under the new state non-discrimination law. Those in Fremantle can learn about what it's like to be a gay or lesbian student at a large, urban high school in Arlington, Virginia. AGLA will also connect Ms. Covich and her school to resources provided by groups like GLSEN and PFLAG to assist her school in dealing with issues such as bullying, student health, counseling, etc.
Suzanne Covich is the first teacher in Australia to receive a National Excellence in Teaching Award twice. She won her previous award as an English teacher at Morley Senior High School in 1995. Today, nominated from a new school, she receives the Commonwealth Australian Teachers Prize for Excellence "for excellence in English teaching." Her nominators describe her as "an excellent motivator", someone who "shows respect and care for all the students in her class" and who "provides explicit feedback to the students and to parents." She uses creative assignments, and impromptu performances to inspire her students. Her assignments on topics vital to teenagers inspire communication with peers, parents and families.
Fremantle is located in the south west corner of Australia. It is bounded on two sides by the Indian Ocean and the Swan River and is Western Australia's major commercial port. Approximately 25 kilometers south of Perth, Fremantle has long been known as Western Australia's second city. Fremantle has retained its traditional base as an operating port and a centre for fishing and marine industry. Fremantle is also a centre for education, research, retailing, the arts, entertainment and tourist industries. The total area of the city of Fremantle is about the same geographic size as Arlington, but has a residential population of just over 24,000 people-about 12% of Arlington's population.
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