Learning the Importance of Online Safety

On November 11, marathon runner and online-safety speaker Ben Tracy gave an engaging talk to Duchesne students. Topics ranged from being aware of online predators to cyberbullying and included many examples from Tracy's own life. 

The talk is a part of the Tracy Trek program, a 120-day run across the country. Less than 400 people have completed a coast-to-coast run. Through this and his talks, Ben hopes to raise awareness among students, parents, and lawmakers about the dangers that social media poses and possible solutions. 

The event stems from Duchesne's current strategic planning process, specifically in the Student Life domain. Assistant Principal of Student Life Debi Turner is responsible for this particular goal, which is to evaluate student needs regarding mental health and life balance. With social media being the source of so many instances of mental illness among teens, Mrs. Turner thought Tracy’s program would be perfect for Duchesne. 

“Almost every disciplinary issue we see in the school stems from social media in some way, shape, or form,” she said. “Every single one of them. It is everywhere, and it’s not going away, so we need to be responsible and give our students the knowledge they need to be safe and smart.”

Tracy recounted his own story of how an old Tweet containing an insensitive joke cost him an important job in the administration of the Illinois Governor's Office.

“[It] was eye-opening,” said senior Hunter Dodson. “He made me realize how dangerous social media can be and how important it is to think before posting.”

Tracy gave a special presentation designed just for parents that evening. 

“We had 88 people come to the parent portion of the presentation,” said Mrs. Turner. “We opened it to our feeder schools, their families, and their faculty.  We actually had families from Lutheran St. Charles, St. Dominic, and the St. Charles public schools attend, too.”

Tracy's story impacted both students and parents alike, and it’s clear to Mrs. Turner there is a real need for more talks like this. 

“We have only scratched the surface of how to protect our community, but we are making a pledge to continue this effort!” she said.