CLARK — Students in Ms. Whittemore’s seventh period Freshman Honors class at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark recently participated in a gender debate. They focused on issues faced by the main character of the book they had been reading, Peeling the Onion, including dealing with trauma and experiencing the five stages of grief. The class closely examined how gender shapes the story and narrative, and Ms. Whittemore posed the question: “How would this story be different if our main character was a male?” The question was the catalyst for the debate. Each affirmative or negative group worked to win the debate by supporting claims with personal experience, examples from history, and facts from reliable sources. Students Ryan Kowalenko and Andrew Sanchez are pictured above. (Photo courtesy of Clark Public Schools)
