Revere High School’s RESPECT. club is encouraging students to participate in healthy dating relationships by hosting informational assemblies and other activities.

This is RESPECT.’s fifth year at the high school. Kay Quigley is the Student Assistance Coordinator for the Revere district, as well as RESPECT.’S adviser. She spoke of the club’s beginnings.

“The invitation [to start the club] came to our school and I volunteered, thinking it sounded like an excellent program,” Quigley said.

RESPECT. is continuing to train members and spread its message, as it has done since its inception in 2008. Quigley voiced the club’s main goals.

“The [club’s] goal is to teach the components of a healthy dating relationship and decrease verbal, physical, sexual, emotional and digital abuse among dating partners,” Quigley said.

Senior LeAnn Greer has been a RESPECT. ambassador for four years. She explained some of the activities that the club takes part in.

“Our club is a group of ambassadors that [have] been trained by Akron Children’s Hospital to help fellow classmates with dating relationships. Our club also puts on the freshman assembly annually. It is state mandated that between the grades seven through twelve that every school present their students with some sort of dating violence prevention education; for Revere, the RESPECT. ambassadors have been asked to be the ones to present the information. We enjoy doing it in fun, exciting and interactive ways with all freshmen at the beginning of every year. We also usually have something around February every year, which also supports healthy dating relationships. Last year we had RESPECT. week, which was when we did a whole week of presenting fun, healthy ways of dating to the school,” Greer said.

Many of the club’s activities are centered around the components of a healthy relationship. Quigley spoke of the criteria a relationship must meet in order to be considered healthy.

“The components of a healthy relationship are honesty, open communication, trust, equality and respect,” Quigley said.

Though students from all grade levels are welcome, there are some requirements that must be met in order to become a RESPECT. ambassador. Quigley explained the club’s yearly prerequisites.

“There are two trainings a year, one in the fall and another in the spring. Trainings are set by the Children’s Hospital trainer Melissa McClain who works with schools all over Summit County. [Students] can join after [they] get trained,” Quigley said.

Throughout its history, RESPECT. has trained about sixty RHS students. Around thirty of those still remain at the high school, with varying numbers attending meetings and helping with events. Senior Alexis Figuero has been a RESPECT. ambassador since her freshman year. She voiced her favorite aspects of the club.

“I love all the people and our advisors, and I like being able to help people and be there for them when they think they have no one,” Figuero said.

Greer explained what students should do if they find themselves in an unhealthy or abusive relationship.

“The first thing would to be to tell someone; preferably someone that will get them further help if need be. Whether that be one of us, a trusted teacher, or a parent, [they should tell] someone. It is never ‘okay’ to be in a unhealthy [or abusive] relationship,” Greer said.

RESPECT. meetings occur in rooms 200 and 216, with those taking place after school usually lasting until 4:30.