Celebration of Leadership 2010 ~ May 8, 2010 ~ Monona Terrace

On May 8, 2010 four graduating seniors, the Educator of the Year, the Judi Devereux Community Activist, and keynote speakers will share their vision, stories of activism, and dreams. This is an event for people of all ages with or without children, people dressed formally, in costumes, or as a regular Joe or Josephine.

Register online or download a reservation form.

Be a Sponsor
Please also consider joining our list of sponsors. We already have three sponsors for 2010:
Platinum Circle Sponsor: UW Health American Family Children's Hospital Child Health Advocacy
Gold Level Sponsor: CUNA Mutual Group
Silver Level Sponsor: Smart Dental
Sponsorship Form

Scholarship Fund
Thank you also to the Saturday Softball League (SSBL) for making a commitment to supporting a full $1,000 scholarship!

Donate to our Silent Auction
We also are taking donations of Silent Auction items for our celebration. You can drop something off or we’ll pick it up. Silent Auction Form

Nominate someone today!– Deadline Wednesday, March 31, 2010!
GSA for Safe Schools will present the Educator of the Year and the Judi Devereux Community Activist awards at the 14th annual Celebration of Leadership. The event will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at the Monona Terrace in Madison.

>>Learn more

Walk/Run/Eat 2009

After three years of bouncing around, the Walk/Run/Eat has finally found its home. The Goodman Community Center on Waubesa Street served as a perfect location for the Walk/Run/Eat, with easy access to the Capital City Trail and a beautifully designed facility. Over 250 people showed up to walk or run the 5K, and you can download the runners' results here.

Thank you to all of our registration, course, and timing volunteers. We simply could not run this event without you. And thank you to all the folks who helped steer the event and pull all of the pieces together: Jordan Bingham, Ron Gilmore, Linda Halsey, David Meixelsperger, Angela Prestil, and Sue Ryan.

We once again had a team of "Pacesetters" hitting the pavement and raising money for GSA for Safe Schools, bringing in over $17,000 for our organization! In case you missed them, this year's folks in the special Pacesetter t-shirts (the lovely chocolate brown ones) were: Matt Austin, Amy Clements, Karen Coombs, The Edmonds-Ramirez Family, Marty Fox, Paul Fricken, Cabell Gathman, Ron Gilmore, Helen Hazelmare, and Laurie Tomasini.

Thank you as well to our event sponsors: Berkeley Running Company, Our Lives Magazine, UW Health, Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, and last but not least, Queen Anne's Catering.

Queen Anne's Catering has been voted "Best of Madison" for catering year after year. According to their website, "they love to plan and their staff loves to perform." We strongly encourage you to check out their Sunday brunch at the West Side Club - it's the best in town! And make sure that, while you're there, you say "Thank you for supporting GSA for Safe Schools."

Check out photos from the 2009 Walk/Run/Eat.

2009 Celebration of Leadership

Check out the pictures from our 13th annual Celebration of Leadership Awards Banquet! Thank you to everyone for making the 2009 Celebration of Leadership a great success! Over four hundred attendees filled the room and celebrated the journeys of courageous LGBTQ youth and their allies! This years award recipients were, from left to right, Scott Lone, Bryce Woyak, Trevis Kahel, Dena Wessell, and Derek Nelson.

2009 Celebration of Leadership Student Scholarship Recipients

Bryce Woyak






Bryce Woyak is described as a fearless leader. Attending a private Catholic high school has made it a constant struggle for Bryce to live openly with his sexuality and gender identity. Unable to organize a GSA at his own school, he became a leader at Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) where he is currently co-president. Although he attends another school, his openness and authenticity have been an inspiration to SPASH's students and staff. He has also worked to make his Catholic school friendlier to LGBTQ youth by being open about his sexuality and also boldly introducing the Day of Silence. Despite frequent opposition, he continues to work towards safety and support for LGBTQ youth in both his schools. Bryce plans to continue his activism in the LGBTQ community at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall, where he intends to major in religious studies.
(Bryce is graduating from Pacelli High School)

Dena Wessel









From an early age, Dena Wessel made it her goal to eliminate the phrase, "that's so gay." With the help of a friend and staff member she started a GSA at Cherokee Middle School. Since then she has been a force in creating safe environments for LGBTQ youth as an advocate, educator, leader, and performer. In addition to being a dedicated member and leader of Madison West's GSA, Dena has branched out to be a leader in the Madison community as well. As a Youth Planner for GSAFE, a member of Top T.E.N., and the Youth Artistic Director for Proud Theater she has made her community more educated and a safer space for LGBTQ youth. Dena believes that the gay right movement is the movement of her generation and she is eager to continue her leadership at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA where she will attend school in the fall. (Dena is graduating from Madison West High School)

Derek Nelson





When Derek Nelson came out his junior year at Baraboo High School, he wasn't necessarily greeted with welcoming arms. Fortunately his parents helped him find resources like Teens Like Us in Madison that reinforced the idea that it was perfectly ok to be gay. With a base of support Derek gathered together friends to start a GSA, which included providing televised testimony at a school board meeting where students and community members filled the room and spilled out into the halls. Immediately Derek and his club planned their first Day of Silence, which didn't go over too well with the student body. GSA members were met with anger, violence, and destruction of personal property. Undeterred, Derek rallied supporters to improve the event, choosing to learn from the past rather than dwell on it. His drive has grown the GSA into a vibrant 60 members (one of the largest on campus) and has helped connect his classmates and peers to service and leadership events at every opportunity. Derek is determined to succeed and plans to major in Business Administration and Environmental Design at the UW-La Crosse.
(Derek is graduating from Baraboo High School)





Trevis Kahel

Over the past four years Trevis Kahel has grown from a person afraid to speak in public to someone who takes the initiative to help where ever he is needed. Indeed, his positive attitude and desire to contribute are two of the qualities that define him most. Despite numerous moves around Madison and between Madison East and Waunakee High School over his high school career Trevis always made being involved in his GSA or making classmates aware of LGBTQ issues a priority. At East he helped analyze climate survey data, educated 9th grade health classes on LGBTQ issues, and put in extra time to ensure the success of GSA-planned fundraisers. Out in the community he helped plan and present at a GSA conference, educate a class of teachers, and volunteered regularly for GSAFE. A talented vocalist he performs with the East High Concert Choir and performed at the opening and closing receptions for the Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals Exhibition. With plans to attend Madison Area Technical College to become an EMT Trevis has served as an example of how youth can maintain friendships, remain in school, find employment, and continue to improve their own lives regardless of circumstance and obstacles.
(Trevis is graduating from Madison East High School)

2009 Celebration of Leadership Educator Award Recipient

Scott Lone
Scott Lone has been the target of conservative opposition and public scrutiny as an out history teacher at West Bend East High School, the fourth largest high school in Wisconsin. He created his school's GSA in 2003 and has worked to ensure a safe place for LGBTQ students and their allies ever since. As club advisor he has created an environment to support LGBTQ students and discuss the harassment that many of them deal with at school. He helped organize teams to participate in AIDS Walk and for the past six years spear-headed efforts to observe Day of Silence. Scott also co-facilitated a support group for LGBT students. He regularly incorporates LGBT history into his U.S. History and Government/Law curriculum. He is consistent and fair when addressing all harassment issues amongst students and staff. In the summer and fall of 2008 Scott faced intense public persecution in the form of accusations, innuendos, letters to the school board, school administration, and the State Attorney General because of his strong stance against one groups' efforts to repeal the school's non-discrimination policy. Despite these attacks, Scott has continued to be a resource and strong support to LGBT students at his school. (Scott teaches at West Bend East High School)

Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945
Gay Straight Alliance for Safe Schools was privileged to host the exhibition, Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945, from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum from October 10, 2008 to December 10, 2008. The General Library System at the University of Wisconsin-Madison co-sponsored the traveling exhibition, which came to Wisconsin for the first time!

Thousands of people of all ages viewed the exhibition presented inside the Memorial Library at UW-Madison. According to Memorial Library staff, Lee Konrad and Ed Van Gemert, more community groups were on campus for this exhibition than for any other held at the university in the past.

More details...

    Walk/Run/Eat 2008

Madison's scenic north side set the stage for this year's Walk/Run/Eat. We had unseasonably warm weather, and participants had the option of choosing from a 5K walk, a 5K run, and a 10K run. After the walk/run, all of our event participants were treated to a delicious lunch, once again donated by Queen Anne's Catering. Thank you Jim and Bill!

Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly, and a special thanks to our Walk/Run/Eat Steering Committee, who put in countless hours planning and preparing for the event: Linda Halsey, Brad Krueger, Jordan Bingham and David Meixelsperger. And thank you to Sue Ryan, our devoted graphics volunteer, who once again designed this year's brochures and t-shirts.

Did you notice that some folks were wearing special purple shirts this year? Those were our "Pacesetters", a group of volunteers who committed to raising $500 each for GSA for Safe Schools leading up to the Walk/Run/Eat. The Pacesetters far exceeded their goal and brought in over $12,000 for the organization! Would you like to be a Pacesetter for next year's event? Drop Brian J. an email and let him know.

We're already in the process of selecting a date and location for next year's Walk/Run/Eat. Please send any feedback and suggestions to Tim Michael.

Download the runners' results here, and make sure you check out our photo gallery here to see pictures from the Walk/Run/Eat.

Thank you to our sponsors and donors:

Le Dame Footwear
Pemba Serves
SportHill
Montrail
FuelBelt
PowerBar
Petzl

2008 Celebration of Leadership

Check out the pictures from our 12th annual Celebration of Leadership Awards Banquet! This year’s keynote speakers were Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and Executive Director Steven Goldberg of CUNA Mutual Group. Thank you to everyone for making the 2008 Celebration of Leadership a great success! This year 394 educators, students, business, political and other community leaders attended our celebration. Gold Circle Sponsors of the event were: William Wartmann, Cohen-Leddy & Grossberg-Ziemke Families, Cuna Mutual Group, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Amcore Bank and Alliant Energy.

2008 Celebration of Leadership Student Scholarship Recipients

Angela Filer
Angela Filer is described as an activist student who has endeavored to create an informed and safe environment at Evansville High School. She has increased awareness of LGBT issues by organizing the Day of Silence observation at EHS, including a viewing of The Laramie Project. Providing morning announcements publicizing upcoming activities and highlighting historical perspectives on LGBT issues, have insured that her school's GSA is heard daily. She has also developed posters promoting respect, tolerance and diversity and encouraging student attendance at GSA meetings. Her advertisement of the organization and reaching out to new members contributes to a growing campus organization. Furthermore, she organized a group of students, entirely on her own, to attend the GSA for Safe Schools Conference this year. Angela believes that her efforts assist her community's continuing movement toward fairness and equality. She looks forward to attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the fall.



Seth Stratton
Seth Stratton started working on LGBT issues as a freshmen, after being elected treasurer of the River Falls High School GSA. That began his commitment to future leadership roles within the organization, and a promise to nurture it until it was flourishing. Seth became president his junior year, raising attendance from five to 40 members and increasing participation in the National Day of Silence from 50 to 130 students. In addition, he served as high school representative to the UW-River Falls GSA, bringing both GSA’s together around a Unity in the Community diversity event at the college. It is now an annual field trip. Seth also volunteered for Fair Wisconsin and worked with the Youth Advisory Council to educate young voters about making gay marriage legal. He has learned that diversity is more than a struggle; it strengthens our bonds with each other. This fall Seth will attend Hamline University.

Miles Walser
Miles attended his first GSA meeting in seventh grade and has been involved with the queer community ever since. Whether organizing Day of Silence, presenting to health classes or working to get gender neutral bathrooms established, Miles has been a driving force behind making Madison West High School a safer and more inclusive environment for all students. Outside of school, Miles has helped plan numerous GSA conferences and was one of five Peer Mentors at Leadership Training Institute 2007. An athlete as well as an activist, Miles helped to co-found Young Queer Sports Club, an organization where LGBT high schoolers could explore their athleticism in a fun and open setting. Miles plans to continue his involvement with LGBT organizations when he attends the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in the fall to pursue a double major in mathematics and graphic design.

Cassie Williamson
In her four years at Hartford Union High School, Cassie has met adversity head on and overcome many obstacles. When she was told that students could not participate in Day of Silence, she worked with lawyers from the ACLU to convince her administrators otherwise. As Student Facilitator of her GSA, she has found herself on more than one occasion being interviewed by local papers or speaking in front of her school board. In 2006, she signed up to be a Student Representative with Fair Wisconsin and spent Election Day knocking on doors in Milwaukee, encouraging people to vote against the ban on civil unions and marriage. This past summer, Cassie returned for her third Leadership Training Institute to play the role of Senior Mentor, working with other students to design and facilitate the three-day retreat. Cassie will attend Lakeland College in the fall, with hopes of someday being a high school teacher and GSA advisor.

2008 Celebration of Leadership Community Activist Award Recipients

Craig Adamski
Though his role as the co-facilitator of both Teens Like Us (TLU) and TopTEN might be part time, Craig has had a full-time impact on the lives of hundreds of LGBT and questioning youth. Weekly TLU meetings provide opportunities for both support and socializing while TopTEN allow youth to develop and deliver peer education programs and workshops. Both groups are programs of Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin in Madison. Craig is also a constant at GSAFE student events and helped develop HIV prevention curriculum for students and GSAs. Youth always come first for Craig. Youth see him as a mentor and role model and credit him for helping them reach a happy and healthy young adulthood. Through his tireless work he has taught young people confidence, self-respect, and resiliency. By example Craig has helped hundreds of teens come out and understand that it is more than merely okay to be gay.

Isabel Medina
After helping restart her GSA in 7th grade Isabel (secretly) applied for – and was offered -- a position on the GLSEN National Jump-Start Student Leadership Team. As both a Co-Chair and Coordinator Isabel spent three years training students across the country how to organize for safe schools, and even appeared on Oprah. Back in Madison as a GSAFE student leader she regularly demonstrates how to organize across identities and has tirelessly educated others about the consequences of privilege and oppression. This Madison West High School student has also advanced statewide understanding about the needs of transgender youth and LGBT youth of color. As Youth Artistic Director for Proud Theater, a Madison-based LGBTQA youth-lead theater troupe, she works hard to ensure the group provides support, learning opportunities, and creative outlets for its performers. In schools and communities across both state and country Isabel has inspired artists to dream and activists to organize. She looks forward to attending Hampshire College and living her life in pursuit of social justice.

2008 Celebration of Leadership Educator Award Recipient

Colleen Capper
Over the years UW-Madison School of Education professor Colleen Capper has taught more than one thousand k-12 administrators and staff about the challenges faced by LGBT youth as well as published articles about this population for both the public and school professionals. GSAFE staff regularly works with school professionals across Wisconsin who have been taught, moved, inspired, and challenged by Colleen over the past 18 years to make real change for LGBT and other marginalized youth. Colleen’s recent writings detail her research on the impact of sexually degrading name-calling on middle and high school boys perceived by their peers to be gay. In addition Colleen has risen over $12,000 for GSAFE by swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles in the last four Madison Ironman competitions. She does this because, as she puts it, “School should not have to be an endurance event for LGBT youth.”

GSAFE Student & Staff Honored

GSAFE student leader Cassie Williamson and Program Assistant Tim Michael have been recognized by Diverse and Resilient for their work to foster big lives for Wisconsin LGBT youth. Diverse and Resilient is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the healthy development of LGBT people in Wisconsin.

Cassie Williamson, a senior at Hartford-Union High School, received the Youth Leadership Award in recognition of her ongoing work to raise awareness about LGBT issues in her school. Since her freshman year Cassie has had to regularly struggle to win permission for HUHS students to observe Day of Silence, which included bringing in the ACLU to address students' first amendment rights. Now a senior, she has been a leader in the Wisconsin GSA movement and has regularly taught her peers how to stand up for their rights.

Tim Michael, who joined GSAFE last May as a full-time staff member, was awarded the Youth Development Specialist Award for his above-and-beyond dedication to GSAs and the student leaders who help plan GSAFE's numerous youth conferences and events. Youth leaders describe him as a sincere and great listener who really understands young people. He has been vital in supporting the growth and development of long-time and fledgling GSAs across the state and has helped GSAFE to double the number of youth directly involved in planning and delivering our student programs.

Congratulations and thanks to both Cassie and Tim!

Congratulations to Colleen Capper!

Recently Colleen Capper learned she was one of 150 people to win a lottery to participate in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii this October! Colleen, who is our 2008 Educator of the Year, will include her tireless support of LGBT students in her Kona venture. Yes, she will once again be raising funds for GSAFE. Back home we’ll be cheering and recalling her quote,
“School should not have to be an endurance event.”

Walk/Run/Eat Has Great Turnout

On Saturday, October 13th, GSA for Safe Schools held its first walk/run event since 2004. The weather was perfect, the crowd was full of energy, and the food was amazing. We had more than 70 runners take part in the 5K, and nearly 100 people strolled, rolled or power-walked the 1-mile course. Results for the 5K run can be viewed here. Here are more photos of the walk, run and eating.

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the Walk/Run/Eat such a great event, and thank you to Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, Frontrunners and Frontwalkers of Madison, David and Brodie at Berkeley Running Company, Bjørn Holtan of Training with Bjørn, and Sue Ryan, who designed the Walk/Run/Eat brochure and t-shirt.

An extra special thanks goes out to the Walk/Run/Eat planning group: Brad Krueger, Jordan Bingham, Linda Halsey, and Jaime Reich. We couldn't have done this without you.

And last but not least, thank you to Queen Anne's Catering who, in addition to printing all of the Walk/Run/Eat brochures, created and donated a fantastic lunch for the nearly 250 participants of this event. You're the best!

GSAFE Recognizes Banned Books Week

GSA for Safe Schools, along with local literacy and education advocates, media figures and free speech defenders recognized Banned Books Week by reading selections from classic literature and other books that have been challenged or banned in our nation on Thursday, September 27th. Madison GSA student activist Bailey Roberts read from the often-challenged children's book "And Tango Makes Three" at this event organized by the ACLU of Wisconsin.

Capper Again Raises Funds for GSAFE--Wisconsin Ironman IV
Congratulations to Colleen Capper for completing her fourth Ironman Wisconsin! Thank you for making us a part of your amazing feat, and thank you to everyone who contributed to the "Capper Ironman Fundraiser."

Celebration of Leadership 2007
was filled with stories of courage, struggle, celebration, and inspiration.

Johnny Winston delivers keynote address at COL 2007

Scholarship and Award Recipients

Past Award Recipients Tell Their Stories

This year's Celebration of Leadership drew about 350 people, including high school and middle school students, school professionals, community leaders, corporate leaders and people of all ages who care about the present and future of our youth.

Johnny Winston, Madison Metropolitan School Board member gave a dynamic keynote address. He praised GSAFE for countering harassment and bullying in schools.

Every year, GSA for Safe Schools awards four Wisconsin high school seniors with scholarships for the amazing work they've done to make their schools and communities safe for LGBTQ youth and their straight allies. These four students will be honored and recognized for their achievements at the Celebration of Leadership at the Monona Terrace. In addition to the scholarships, the Celebration of Leadership honors one person with the Community Activist Award, and one person with the Educator Award. This year's scholarship and award recipients are:

GSA for Safe Schools Scholarships

• Ellie Crean - Madison East High School
• Jared Genova - Madison Shabazz High School
• Teddi Hereid - Mount Horeb High School
• Ben Pollok - Middleton High School

• Kat Miller - Madison East High School

• Beth Franklin - Eau Claire Memorial High School

As advisor to Eau Claire Memorial High School’s GSA for six years, Beth Franklin has helped students of all walks of life feel safe, appreciated, and welcome. During her tenure she coordinated bi-annual trainings for UW-Eau Claire student-teachers, lobbied for and won a staff training on LGBT issues, rallied critical support for a homeless club member, mentored student leaders and guided them through multiple national events. She has put her job on the line numerous times for the safety and well-being of her LGBT students, most recently in 2006 when she survived six weeks of media and public scrutiny for facilitating a lesson about the challenges faced by transgender individuals in her English classroom during the 2006 Day of Silence. This will be Beth’s last year teaching at Eau Claire Memorial, and her students consider this award a wonderful send off and thank you on behalf of the community.