Members of the high school community recently viewed and participated in the Pioneer Valley Youth Clothesline Project, a traveling exhibit meant to raise awareness about the impact violence has on young people.

The exhibit was brought to the school by Principal Diana Bonneville and coordinated by Health/Physical Education teachers Tania Chrzanowski and Tara Cole.

During the school day, a clothesline hung from one end of the gymnasium to the other displaying shirts with written messages about the issues of bullying, harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, and dating violence.

All the shirts displayed were made by youth across the Pioneer Valley. Some had very personal messages, like one that said, “My childhood ruined because of a family member’s mistake,” while others were social statements about the issues.

Teen crisis intervention specialist Nina Brand from the the Umass Amherst Center for Women and Community was in the high school gym to answer questions and offer support to students experiencing the exhibit.

“These shirts are really intense, so we want to make sure people know that before they start looking at them, and decide for themselves how much is too much,” said Brand.

Students at the high school also had the opportunity to make shirts of their own if they wanted to. The shirts weren’t displayed the day the exhibit was at the high school to protect the privacy of the South Hadley community, but will become a part of the exhibit at other schools.

“On one hand, it’s great that so many people are coming forward and feel like they have something to say and are willing to make a shirt. But on the other hand, it just reminds us how pervasive these issues are in peoples’ lives, and how much secrecy there often is,” said Brand. “Doing it on a shirt might be the first time someone has a chance to say anything about these issues.”

Many students at the high school were moved by the exhibit. “I like how the exhibit brought awareness to violence,” said sophomore Chris Stevenson.

Since the Youth Clothesline Project began in 1999, the amount of shirts has grown from 40 to about 1,600.

Only a fraction of all the shirts were put on display at the high school because of space restraints. However, Brand said that once in a while all of the shirts can be displayed, usually when a town allows them to have the exhibit on a town common which she said is “beyond powerful to see all those numbers.”

Nelson may be reached at [email protected]