Spurred by Tragedy, Grassroots GHS Connections Club Catches on Fast

Elias Frank sat down with Patch on Tuesday to explain the genesis of GHS Connections, his grassroots initiative turned student club at the high school. 

Frank is soft-spoken, but he is emphatic when he speaks. Just below his composed demeanor it is clear that he is still heartbroken. He conveys a maturity beyond his years, and when it comes to bullying at GHS, he insists, "change needs to come from the students."

The club Frank launched after GHS sophomore Bart Palosz took his life on the first day of school has caught on very quickly. His goal is "a bully-free environment where students feel safe to come to school." 

Starting with a Facebook group that blossomed quickly, Frank pulled together the paperwork to form a school-sanctioned club. According to Frank, there were multiple offers from staff willing to be club advisor. He said that GHS Math teacher Michael Brennan will fill that role. And from a large pool of interested students, Frank honed in on a group of 10 to be club's leaders. The ten students are a coed, diverse group that represents disparate elements of the campus including  athletes, student government types, musicians and theater kids, for example – basically a representation from across the spectrum. 

According to Frank, the photos and profiles of the ten students will be posted around the school and students will recognize them as people designated approachable and nonjudgemental. They will be their peers' sounding boards and represent a safe haven at GHS, a school with an enrollment of 2,687 students.

Frank has short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for the club, which had its first meeting on Tuesday after school. In the short term, Frank envisions posters and a club banner. The club members have yet to settle on a slogan, but the overarching theme will be that club members will help students every day of the year. 

Frank brings up Names Day, GHS's traditional anti-bullying program geared toward freshmen and led by the upperclassmen, as a great success and a model inasmuch as it is mostly student-led, but emphasizes that more needs to be done throughout the year. 

In the medium-term, Frank would like to see the GHS Connections Club plan a weeklong series of guest speakers and workshops along the theme of bullying.

In the long-term, Frank would like to see the club become a model for schools across the country. Though only a week has passed since the first day of school and the tragedy that inspired the club's formation, the response to Frank's leadership and his social media posts has been tremendous. He has been contacted by representatives from schools far and wide, as well as adults struck by his sincerity, who have offered support.

After the first meeting of GHS Connections, one of the leaders, Alleyha Dannett, reported to Patch that about 20 students were in attendance and that there was an exciting brainstorming session.  
 
Here are excerpts from the public YouTube video Frank posted last week. It gained traction quickly:

"We need to be the role models to the younger students. After what happened I felt like I failed my school, my grade and my classmates. ...The night I was informed of what happened I wrote a few paragraphs on the class page ...suggesting there would be trained staff at the high school, but that I too would be available if anyone wanted to express how they were feeling or stories they wanted to tell....I expected maybe one or two friends would come up and talk to me. That was not the case. During first block, a brave young woman who I'd never talked to came up to me and told me a story of being bullied in the high school. ... I owed it to her and all the rest of the students to be able to come to a school that is bully-free and where one can feel safe to learn.

...I also learned that students are more comfortable talking to other students than staff. People want to talk to other people who want to listen, not that it's there job to.  I can't change what happened, but I can change what may happen. She inspired me to create GHS Connections...The change has to start with the kids who are also the problem, which include me. My thought for GHS Connections and what can be will put Greenwich High School on the right path to redemption...

...This Connection Club has the potential to be so much more...This club may be able to go national...We have the support. We need the voice. You are the voice. Connection clubs should be everywhere... I want to make high school a better experience for everyone and hopefully you do too. GHS Connections is one way to do this. We want and need your help. Raising awareness is just the start," said Frank. "Please pass this video on through email, social media. Anything," he concluded.

Here is a link to Frank's full five minute YouTube video.  The Facebook page for GHS Connections is here. Anyone wishing to reach out to Elias Frank may contact him at his email address: ejrfrank@gmail.com.
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Other Greenwich Patch articles on bullying:
Greenwich Schools: A Culture of Bullying?
What Kids Wish Their Parents Knew: Preventing Bullying
Greenwich High's Names Day, 12 Years Strong