Feature Story Experience

ONW is a very unique high school. One of our greatest accomplishments is the forming of the GSA or Gender Sexuality Alliance. 

          Josie Hilton, a senior here at ONW is a leader of this amazing group and I was able to interview her about it. This has been my favorite project so far as I am a huge advocate for LGBT+ rights and I'm very passionate about the goal of the GSA, to create a safe space for all LGBT+ students and allies.

   

         For this project, we created a video feature story and a written feature story. The written part was probably the most complicated part for me. I am a visually creative person and it's kind of hard to imagine words on a page. I can easily visualize a video or animation, but papers are harder. 

         The video was my favorite part. I'm quite happy with how it turned out considering how many technical difficulties I had. My sound wouldn't record, or my tripod was broken.  It was mess. It cam out strong though and the GSA really loved it.

 

Gender Sexuality Alliance at Olathe Northwest

By Lizzie Swartwood Hour 6

The students walk through the empty halls after school towards an empty English classroom. This room will soon be filled the laughter of old friends and new friends as these students take their places facing the front of the room towards their leaders. On the projector screen is a page with big letters spelling out the words “Let’s to join together to end the hate”. Behind it is a bright banner of genders and sexualities. This mirrors the room which is filled with people of all shape and sizes, genders and sexualities.  This in ONW’s Gender Sexuality Alliance or GSA. It’s a club where both LGBTQA+ students and Allies can join together to make the world and the school a better place.

            LGBTQA+, more commonly referred to as LGBT+ or just LGBT, is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer, and Ace. The plus refers to all other sexualities and gender identities not represented by the acronym.

            Josie Hilton is a senior and leader of the GSA who fall under two parts of LGBT+, Bi and Ace. Josie identifies as an asexual, biromantic female. This means that she doesn’t experience any type of sexual attraction and is romantically attracted to both males and females.

            This is her first year in the GSA as she joined by the recommendation of a friend. She has the privilege of leading this amazing group before she graduates.

“I’m in charge of setting up all the meetings, coming up with the new topics that we’re going to talk about and for me, that’s been the [best] part” She said.

            Ms. Powers, the sponsor this year, is very impressed with Josie and her leadership skills and elaborates on her stance.

“Josie is an amazing leader. We didn’t have elected officers. Basically, I just asked who was interested in leadership and what qualified them…based on that I put together five people and she has consistently been one of the people who shows up to the meetings prepared…she runs the meeting with the help of the other leaders. She’s great.”

            The GSA used to be called the Gay Straight Alliance, but they decided on a a name change this year in order to make it more accepting and open.

“We are a safe place where a community of people who’ve come together to embrace the LGBT community and to also help both those in the community and allies learn more about the different parts of the LGBT community and what it all means,” Hilton says.

            The GSA has been around Olathe Northwest for about nine years now. It was created by the students in order to create a safe place for anyone. Whether you are straight, gay, questioning or anything else, this is place you can go to find community and acceptance.