Food
       A new policy prohibits the removal of unsealed food from designated areas that include the cafeteria, kitchen, and picnic tables. Last school year, culinary students were permitted to leave the classroom with fresh food covered only in thin cellophane. Now, they must bring their own Tupperware.
      Cecily Gans, chef instructor, calls the rule an “easy equation”: unsealed food yields pests. Because of its simplicity, she has had no issue enforcing the rule.

“Everyone has had a very positive attitude, no one has complained,” Gans said.

Meghan Fox ‘14, a first year culinary student, respects and follows the policy yet believes that students should be allowed to eat outside of the cafeteria.

“I’ve heard of rodents in the school,” Fox said, “but I don’t think that eating lunch in the hallway outside the cafeteria is going to affect the problem.”

But in order for the policy to succeed, Gans says, Staples needs to become an community in which “everyone respect[s] their environment.”

“It’s just what we all have to do together,” Gans said.

Sexual Harassment

“It’s no laughing matter. It’s illegal. It’s not a joke. It’s not flirting.”

This is the slogan on the Staples Sexual Harassment pamphlet this year. The pamphlet emphasizes the fine line between harassment and flirting and advises students to either confront their attackers or report them to an administrator.

Richared Franzis, Sexual Compliance Officer and assistant principal, has already addressed one case during only the first three weeks of school. He defines verbal sexual harassment, the most common form, as “any comment of a sexual nature that makes it a hostile work environment.”

“Like any school or organization,” Franzis said, “it’s an issue that pops up from time to time.”

But for a gay student at Staples, who wished to remain anonymous due to the nature of the subject, the harassment was consistent and relentless. Throughout middle school, students shouted gay slurs and made comments about his genitalia.

He says that, although he received help from school counselors, nothing could stop the harassment.

“I was the first gay kid out in the whole school so they found it hard to deal with the bullying,” he said.

Fortunately, the harassment tapered off in high school, and he was able to gain acceptance from his peers.

Remy Ilana ‘11 says that, throughout her four years at Staples, she witnessed very little sexual harassment. She adds that it’s hard to identify because victims “tend not to be very vocal about it.”

To Franzis, however, the line is clear.

“A lot of it does start out as a joke,” Franzis said. “But it’s all in the eyes of the receiver.”

Bullying

On the first day of school, Staples students were handed pamphlets detailing the new bullying policy, enacted by theConnecticutsenate and House of Representatives on July 1. The policy emphasizes the seriousness of all cases, including those that occur off campus or on the internet. In light of many recent teenage suicides, bullying policies have been strengthened nationwide.

“Kids don’t want bullying on their record,” assistant principal Patrick Micinilio said.

Although Micinilio calls bullying an “issue” here at Staples, he says that many students are reluctant to report it.

“There’s always been a fear of, ‘If I report it, what comes next?’” he said. “Students might also be confused about what bullying is.”

Victoria Loiacono ‘13 supports the policy, which requires all school employees to report bullying, but suggests it may be hard for teachers to identify.

“It might not be that obvious because a teacher might think that you’re just joking around and not look at it as a sign of bullying,” Loiacono said.

But according to Micinilio, once it is reported, it is “dealt with quickly and justly.”

“You can always come to seek out help from an administrator,” Micinilio said.