A student group at West Liberty High School will be officially awarded a “Spirit Award” on Thursday, Oct. 22, by the Iowa Safe Schools organization in a virtual ceremony, although having already received the honor in a special in-person ceremony late last month.
The 11th annual Iowa Safe Schools Spirit Awards showcases the work of students, educators, individuals, organizations and corporations who have made a significant impact on the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. The Spirit Awards raises funds to support life-saving work that empowers LGBTQ youth across the state.
“This year, we truly have an exceptional array of award nominees,” said Nate Monson, Executive Director of Iowa Safe Schools. “Through their work, our nominees have changed the lives of thousands of LGBTQ youth across Iowa.”
The West Liberty group has been named the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) of the year for the state, presented to the organization on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at a special ceremony at the high school library.
The mission of Iowa Safe Schools is to provide safe, supportive, and nurturing learning environments and communities for LGBTQ and allied youth through education, outreach, advocacy, and direct services.
WLHS organization advisor Katlyn Clark said the group has existed in the school for many years even before she became a teacher at the school. She said the organization was not active for serval years after the initial sponsor left the school system.
Clark said Miguel Solis, a student in the school asked guidance counselor Steph Paulsen to reinstate the organization “because he believed students needed a safe place to come together,” according to Clark, who has now been the sponsor of the organization for the past six years.
“I have loved watching the group grow,” she said.
“Its purpose is for LGBT students and the allies to those students to come together to a safe space to gather,” Clark said. “We go to leadership conferences through Iowa Safe Schools every year, and participate in many of the activities that all clubs participate in, like painting Homecoming windows and doing fundraising at basketball games.”
Clark said there are times students will just hang out during after-school club hours to watch a movie or talk. “Even though that is informal, it is really those times that strengthen our group, because students build connections with one another and make friends with people they might not have otherwise talked to,” Clark said.
The advisor said an organization called GLSEN has done a lot of research on the benefits of schools having a GSA club as a safe space, and has found that it benefits students' mental health, grades, and feeling like they belong in their school.
She said typically there are about 15 students who belong to the organization and said, “Any student that feels like they want a safe space to go or wants to make new friends can attend GSA. It was made to be inclusive to all!”
Clark said the group was “thrilled” to win the award. “Everyone here at West Liberty High School has helped make this such a wonderful place for a GSA to grow. It's been treated as more than just a club, but as a way for students, teachers and administration to come together to make our school as a whole a more inclusive space.”
She said seeing students and alumni show up for the award ceremony added to the celebration. “Seeing their teacher allies make it so that the library was at capacity was just the most beautiful, special moment we could imagine,” Clark said.
The Iowa Safe Schools organization provided four other awards as well to schools and individuals throughout the state including:
Lynn
Reinicke
Educator
of
the
Year
– Jamie Sebring, Middle School Advisor to Taft Middle School GSA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This award is given to an education professional (teacher, school counselor, administrator, para-educator, education support profession) in a K-12 setting who has contributed to creating a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for LGBTQ youth.
Allies
of
the
Year – Senator Janet Petersen & Representative Todd Prichard. This award is given to a leader or community member in Iowa who has shown outstanding allyship to LGBTQ youth and is passionate about creating safer and more inclusive learning environments for all students.
Partner
in
Progress – Kum & Go. This award is given to an organization or corporation who has shown a commitment to promoting inclusion in the workplace or community through active involvement in the LGBTQ community.
Queer
Student
Organization
(QSO)
of
the
Year – Drake University Rainbow Union. This award is given to one college or post-secondary group each year in Iowa.