Falling Online

She stepped onto the field, their routine running through her head, her stomach a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The dance team warmed up, same as always. Everything was going great, perfectly even. Until the tumble. Halfway through the move, her foot slipped on the uneven ground. She lost her footing and balance, falling on the hard turf of the football field. It was just that, a fall. And that is all that it would have been, if not for a camera and an Instagram account.

“Coming into dance team, I knew there were stereotypes. And I know myself. I know I don’t fit into those stereotypes. Some previous dance members have… and people just assume that  [we’re all] the same,” says Paige Albright ‘23, a new member of the West High dance team. 

Times are changing, and people along with them. However, many stereotypes still persist. Just because members of the dance team used to be irresponsible and make questionable decisions, it does not mean that they still do. 

“The most frustrating part is that they don’t know how hard we work.” Albright said, “I think that if people actually knew how much work we put into it, they would respect us more.”

Last year, Emma, who declined to be interviewed, fell on the football field during the warm up before the football game. This event was caught on camera, resulting in many different people making memes and instagram posts that made fun of her. And although this happened last year, it is still affecting new dance members, some of whom were not even present when this event took place. Albright is one of those new members that is feeling the effects of this.

“Girls were talking [about how]… a girl fell during a routine and people took videos of that and sent it to everyone, kind of just making fun of her falling. And so I was really [nervous] coming in. I’m just happy I didn’t fall,” said Albright.

It makes sense why Albright is worried. 59% of American teenagers have been victims of some type of online harassment, according to the Pew Research Center. The effects spread to many people, including the friends and family members of the victim. Recent studies from the National Institute of Health show that online harassment leads to much greater rates of depression, and cyberbullying victims are twice as likely to commit suicide.

Social media platforms allow for bullying to be done in a way that cannot be directly traced back to them, which can cause these platforms to be misused. Their animosity acts as a shield to the bully, allowing them to easily say negative things about each other without punishment.

“If we don’t know what’s going on. It’s hard to, it’s hard to to intervene.”  Said Mr. Breitbach, a counselor here at West.

A survey was sent out asking what students thought of the policies in an open-minded response, and 71% were not aware of the ICCSD policies against online harassment. The students who were aware of the policies believed they needed to be more specific, preventative, and consequential. It was also believed that the policies are putting forth the effort but when it comes to execution, they are lacking. While there is currently a way to get help, counselors worry that it is not being utilized.

“There are policies set in place to help protect students who feel unsafe, as well as people who are willing and able to help. However, the victim has to come out about the bullying to an administrator or other adult at the school. Sadly, because they think of asking for help as a sign of weakness or think that it might cause the problem to escalate, many students do not take advantage of this.” Said Mr. Breitbach.

This necessity for students to notify the school first might be what is causing these situations to be handled improperly. Instead of being able to solve the problem and find preventative measures, it escalates into something much more harmful.

The fall went from an insignificant mistake into something everlasting. Nevertheless, these incidents may now be left in the past for West High.

“We come to the pep rally and like everybody was telling us that we did a good job, which apparently is new, like that usually doesn’t happen. So, I’m hoping things are changing. And I think it’s getting better.”

If you or someone you know is thinking of or have attempted suicide, go to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/, or call their hotline: 1-(800)-273-8255.