By KEITH EDWARDS
Staff Writer Tuesday, January 30, 2007

enlarge Staff photo by Andy Molloy

Cony High School students Faith Doherty, left, and Brian Lui learn traditional Pakistani dance techniques from Hanna Sher, center, and Nada Farag, right, during Cony Diversity Day on Monday in Augusta.

enlarge Staff photo by Andy Molloy

Cony High School security guard and Augusta native Bob Vachon speaks to Cony students about growing up in that community as a Franco-American, during a Diversity Day program on Monday at the high school.

enlarge Staff photo by Andy Molloy

Kristen Day models a Cony High School Civil Rights Team T-shirt while watching Hanna Sher teach belly dancing on Monday at the school in Augusta.

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Nazarkewycz, the former Jen Ochmanski, said he didn't want his mother to know what he hadn't yet fully accepted himself: he may have had a woman's body, but he knew then he truly identified himself as a man.

"As much as I didn't want it to be true, I knew it was," Nazarkewycz told a classroom full of about 30 students as part of Cony Diversity Day on Monday. "Sometimes, I wish I could fit society's stereotypical view of gender. But I know I can't."

Transgendered people alter their appearance to that of the opposite sex.

Nazarkewycz, a 2006 Cony graduate, said even after he knew he identified himself as male, he struggled with his identity. He didn't like going to school much his senior year, in part because he wasn't even sure, himself, how he wanted his classmates to refer to him.

"My senior year, as far as Jen and she, I was totally not wanting that at all," he said. "At the same time, I was not really ready to be Jeremiah full-time either."

Nazarkewycz's compelling story about life as a transgendered person was one of several at the day-long annual event meant to instill Cony students with acceptance and tolerance of people who may be different in one or more ways. It also was a chance for students to learn about other cultures, religions and ways of life.

Several local religious leaders answered questions about their beliefs in a forum featuring representatives from faiths including: Catholic, Buddhist, Seventh-day Adventist, Mormon, Islam, Methodist, Jewish, Spiritualist, and Apostolic.

Each participant, lined up next to each other on the auditorium stage as students looked on, was asked whether their religion believed in a higher being, where their religion originated, and whether their religion believed in judgment.

"Being judged isn't bad, as long as you have a good relationship with the judge," offered the Rev. Robert Farley, of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Augusta and Farmingdale.

The day is organized by the Cony Civil Rights Team.

"It's a day you just get everything out and talk about it," said Civil Rights Team member, senior Ruth Bowden. "It's a great experience for everyone. It's a wake-up call for our school."

Other presentations included Paul and Bob Vachon talking about growing up French in Augusta, Pakistani dance with student Hanna Sher, a presentation on sign language led by three students, and presenters on holistic living, Latin dance, living with autism, sexual harassment, the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and American Field Service with local AFS representative Larry Ralph and students from foreign countries.

Ralph said Cony students seemed hesitant to talk at first, but opened up as soon as they were off in smaller groups with the foreign students.

"When they got together, with no adults listening, they were more comfortable and there was a lot of discussion," Ralph said.

Senior Faith Doherty, also a team member, said most students talk with each other afterward about the presentations they attend.

"Maybe, for some, it used to just be a day without classes," she said. "But now, for most, it's an experience. Some of it is controversial, but it's a positive controversial. I'm sure there are parents who aren't fond of certain things being discussed. But it may be good for some people who may live, at home, in a closed-minded situation."

Nazarkewycz, despite his initial reluctance to tell his parents he was about to change his name and begin identifying himself as male, said both now seem to accept it. He told a few friends first, in awkward conversations. He figured he had to tell his parents before they found out through the rumor mill. He told both, who don't live together, by e-mail.

"My mom came up to me, gave me a hug, and said, 'No matter what, I'll always love you,' " Nazarkewycz said. "I didn't really hear from my dad right away. We talked online. He accepted it, but he didn't really understand it."

He changed his name during his senior year at Cony. He chose Jeremiah E. Nazarkewycz, in part because his new initials would spell his old name, Jen.

Nazarkewycz, who is still legally identified as female on his birth certificate, prefers the male pronoun, though he said sometimes people still refer to him as she, or Jen, especially when he comes back to Cony. Nazarkewycz is undergoing hormone treatments that give a more masculine appearance, and a deeper voice. He has not undergone surgery, but said he may consider it in the future.

Students could choose from several different sessions offered. Students who were uncomfortable attending Diversity Day sessions could opt out and were offered alternative activities in their place, such as a workshop on hate crimes in schools.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com