Point Break breaks down walls for sophomores
Sophomores write uplifting comments during an activity called “I got your back”.
September 29, 2015
When kids in kindergarten were asked if they liked themselves, 95 percent or more said “yes”. By 12th grade it is down to five percent.
— Wurgler
Point Break is a program used at Tracy High School for sophomores to reduce bullying and increase acceptance. It brings together students of all social groups to discuss serious issues including: domestic violence, sexual and verbal abuse, as well as racism and sexism.
Activities are organized into five full days from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with different groups of sophomores each day, ranging from 90 to 130 students each.
“This is the largest group we’ve had at Point Break,” Assistant Principal Lynn Dell Hawkins said.
Throughout the program, Joel Wurgler led the activities with the help of junior and senior facilitators from the school.
The first game the students are introduced to is called “Tsunami.” The students sit in folding chairs put into a square formation, facing each other. Then they are instructed by Wurgler to run across to the other side of the square and find a new seat if what Wurgler says relates to them, such as “plays a sport”.
This brings the students together through a feeling of acceptance caused by the similarity of attributes. The activity also causes the students to sit next to people they did not know previously, which helps get the students out of their comfort zones.
Several games are played throughout the day to keep the spirit light during such an emotional program.
One of the games is a variation of volleyball where the sophomores sit on the floor in two groups, boys and girls, and play with a large blow-up volleyball. This is often a favorite of the sophomores.
“I think volleyball was really fun. Even though the girls won the first game, the boys came back for the win,” sophomore Nick Nunez said.
Among the serious activities, students are paired up in boy and girl couples to perform knee to knee, eye to eye. This is where the students sit very closely across from each other and maintain physical/eye contact while they talk about themselves and their lives.
Knee to knee, eye to eye is performed twice. Between the two, Wurgler gives a presentation about abusive home life and how important it is for the students to be open and willing to heal the pain that they feel.
Sophomores are divided into several groups led by one or two upperclassmen facilitators. These groups are a safe-haven where the students may speak openly about their home/social lives without the judgment of close friends.
Groups are also where the sophomores have time to reflect on the activities done throughout the day. The facilitators stimulate this reflection by asking questions and leading small group ice-breakers.
“I met a lot of cool people. We had fun learning about each other and what we’ve been through,” senior Alyssa Serrato said.
The most hard-hitting activity of the day is called “cross the line.” This is where Wurgler asks a series of questions starting with, “Cross the line if…” Examples are, “Cross the line if you have ever seriously thought about committing suicide,” “Cross the line if you have ever been called a derogatory name by a man,” “Cross the line if you have ever been hit to make you stop crying.”
By having specific scenarios for males and females, as well as the different races and ethnicities, the program validates the different pains felt by a variety of students.
Point Break over the years has, “…made the campus safer,” Hawkins said. The improvements made in just one day are vital to the student interaction at Tracy High School.
“This is why Point Break is at Tracy High. It brings us closer together and reminds us that we are loved,” sophomore Evalina Maas-Espinoza said.
