Man Up

By: Trevor Forrey

      A group of Red Mountain students have decided that it’s time to man up and show respect. The Man Up movement at Red Mountain, created spring semester, promotes respect in every action.

     “A man is someone who takes responsibility by rejecting passivity, leading courageously,     and initiating respect,” said core club member and junior Brian Smith Jr. “I believe that if men live their lives holding to these things that the culture here at Red Mountain can be drastically changed.”

     The club was created when Brian Smith Sr., leader of the Man Up club at Arizona State University and father of Red Mountain junior Brian Smith Jr., saw potential for this program to work at Red Mountain High School. Brian Smith Sr. and Mr. Gowdy felt that it was important to create a club for athletes that prides itself on rejecting passivity, leading courageously, and initiating respect by putting others’ needs above their own.

     Smith Sr.’s first interest and pursuit of creating a Man Up club at Red Mountain came from the important role that respect has in daily life.

     “We live in a culture where respect isn’t a core value, and I believe that because people are impacted in a negative way,” said Smith Sr. “People do things to their friends, families, teammates, schools, coaches that are unacceptable, and I believe that if respect was a core value we could see a positive change in these areas.”

     Eleven core Red Mountain students were selected to work with ASU students and Smith Sr. in coordinating the efforts of the group. Through club events and the Man Up shirt Mondays, the organization has been able to create more awareness for the cause, as well as attracting new recruitments who believe in the Man Up morals.

     Due to his participation in Man Up, core Man Up member and junior Alec Shervheim has noticed his definition of what defines a man change.

     “Society doesn’t describe what a real men should be. Man Up shows the athletes the real values of how you should respect yourself and others and how you should put other’s needs above you own,” said Shervheim. “Man Up brings us closer together as a football team and shows us how to play as a team rather than as individuals.”

     This club started with football players, but the baseball team is in the process of having Man Up become a part of their team. In order to take the Man Up pledge, athletes must accept the challenge to reject passivity, lead courageously and initiate respect by putting others’ needs above their own.

     Changing the culture of how athletes define manliness is the main objective of the Man Up club. The organization plans on accomplishing these goals by educating male peers about respect for themselves and for all others. With the help of these young male athletes, this movement will have a big impact on Red Mountain.

     “When students respect themselves and others, our culture here at Red Mountain will completely change,” said Smith Sr. “When disrespectful situations come up men will step in because they are living with this core value of respect.”

     For more information on the Man Up movement, visit their Facebook site at www.facebook.com/ManUpRMHS.