One side: Indoctrina-tion. Thought control. Language police. Big Bro-ther.

The other side: Mind-fulness. Charitable acts. Citizenship. Love thy neighbor.

Will the true spirit of Maine's Civil Rights Teams please stand up?

As a faculty member at Lawrence High School in Fairfield, I have advised our Civil Rights Team for three years.

The Christian Civic League is circulating a petition that would eliminate Maine's funding of Civil Rights Teams.

Here's how one central Maine school understands and implements the mission of the Civil Rights Team Project.

The project is based on the premise that school should be a safe zone for all students. Regardless of their race, color, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, or gender, students should feel confident that they are in no physical or emotional danger at school.

That's a pretty tall order, though, so how do we accomplish such a daunting task?

The Lawrence Civil Rights Team meets twice per month and plans projects that we feel will have a positive impact on our school community. The group is open to any student who is interested in participating, and over the last few years, we have addressed such issues as:

* Self-esteem and body image

* Healthy relationships

* Bullying and school safety

* Holidays of diverse religious, national and ethnic traditions

* Discriminatory and offensive language

* Black History Month

* Women's History Month.

We also have run successful school-wide food drives for local food pantries, and we have several new activities brewing, including a letter-writing campaign to support local soldiers serving abroad, elementary schoolbus ride-alongs to help monitor student behavior and a fundraiser for women's rights centers in the area.

The question of how to run the activities is nearly as important as which topics to address.

Our group focuses on promoting conversation about issues.

We do not believe that it is appropriate or productive to force views onto others, and we do not try to influence the values of students in one specific direction.

To the contrary, we encourage students to consider all sides of the issue, find people -- friends, family members, teachers, clergy -- to bat ideas around with, then reflect on where they stand at the end of the day.

I feel that the greatest goal of our team is to get students to recognize that they actually have values, that their beliefs matter, that their ideas translated into action can make a difference in society.

In this way, the team not only fulfills its official mission but also brings young people into a civic process.

I stand with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others throughout history who believed that the most important function of education was to create responsible citizens who value freedom, service and democracy.

We need look no further than our current president to find inspiration in this realm. In his 2001 inaugural address George W. Bush said, "We are bound by ideals that teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these ideals. Every citizen must uphold them....

"I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character."

By virtue of our beliefs in the exchange of ideas and the importance of discussion, we support the Christian Civic League's right to ask for your support. We do, however, strongly disagree with the ideas expressed in its petition.

Civil rights teams in Maine have taken on the challenges laid out both by the Civil Rights Team Project and by President Bush.

We have not yet accomplished our goal of creating a school climate that is truly free of discrimination and harassment, but we feel that our activities consistently move our school in that direction, while also exposing students to civil discourse.

I believe the Civil Rights Team Project is an excellent use of state funds, and I ask you the question we often pose to students as we conclude a Civil Rights Team activity: What do you think?

Amy Bongard teaches German and French at Lawrence High School, Fairfield, and is the adviser for the Civil Rights Team.