Freshmen were called to the library for a bystander meeting on Sept. 10 and 11 to learn about healthy relationships from the leaders of Jana’s campaign.

“My whole purpose is for every ninth grade student to be trained in bystander intervention training so that if they’re ever out and about and they see something that is not healthy going on they will know what they can do about the situation,” instructor Sue Tebo said.

Bystander intervention has been an ongoing program at our school for two years and started with Tebo bringing the campaign in.

“Mrs. Tebo had Jana’s campaign come in to talk to us,” junior Kenna Pfannenstiel said. “Then I decided that I wanted to know more.”

Jana’s Campaign gets freshmen, teachers and upper-classmen involved with this intervention.

“My favorite part of helping is getting to watch Kaiti Dinges, Christie Brungardt, and Kim Cebula from Jana’s Campaign work, and learning from them all,” Pfannenstiel said. “As well as seeing all the freshmen getting to take part in this and knowing that it’s because not just me but many other of my friends from Jana’s Campaign Youth Advisory Council.”

Dinges is the Executive director and Cebula is Assistant director of Jana’s Campaign.

Tebo said during the training Brungardt, the mother who lost her daughter Jana, to the murder of the ex-boyfriend, sets it up by explaining how it can happen to anyone and explaining what you can do to safely intervene and not just stand there.

“I enjoyed the intervention a lot because I got a better idea of what a healthy relationship is about,” freshman Cara Brungardt said. “I learned that this is a big issues these days.”

21abraun@usd489.com