Oregon teen wins $70k after being told to kill herself

An Oregon teen has now spoken out about the social repercussions she faced for revealing violent hazing carried out by senior members of her high school’s dance team in 2014.

Sabrina Achcar-Winkels, 17, endured years of abuse from her peers at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego after filing a federal lawsuit in March 2015 stemming from the incident, the Oregonian reported on Friday. 

She was also virtually ignored by school officials after reporting the incident, which led to her winning a $70,000 jury verdict in her lawsuit, in November.

Ray and Taissa Achcar-Winkels filed the lawsuit on behalf of their daughter. 

Sabrina Achcar-Winkels, 17, endured years of abuse from her peers at Lakeridge High School in Oswego after filing a federal lawsuit in March 2015 stemming from a hazing incident that occurred in Aug. 2014, and has now been awarded $70,000 by a federal jury

‘Hopefully this win will show other kids and young girls that they can and should speak up and it will make a difference,’ Achcar-Winkels said. ‘They shouldn’t have to be afraid.’

In the nearly three years since the Achcar-Winkels family filed the lawsuit against the school and Lake Oswego School Distrcit, the teen girl has been ignored, taunted, called a snitch and even told to kill herself.

The high schools senior said she lost most of her friends for her decision to speak out about the annual ‘initiation’ practices of the Lakeridge Pacer Dance, which included being pelted with water balloons and forced to wrestle other dance team members in their bikinis while male and female students watched and shouted at them from the sidelines.

Just days before the 4-day civil trial began about two months ago, someone wrote a vulgar phrase in pink lipstick on Achcar-Winkels’ car.  

The teen girl was just 14 years old and a freshman in high school when the incident at the root of the lawsuit took place, on Aug. 9, 2014.

Prior to being dropped off by her mother that night for what was supposed to a sleepover at a senior’s home, the dance team’s coach Kayla Nordlum had emailed her mom that the night would include a scavenger hunt and obstacle course at the middle school field, with a 9.00 pm curfew.

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here, being covered in flour during a team initiation, sometime prior to 2014

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here, being covered in flour during a team initiation, sometime prior to 2014

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here standing in costumes in public during a team initiation in 2011

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here standing in costumes in public during a team initiation in 2011

Norldum was new to the district, and said she trusted the judgment of the seniors.

Instead, when the teen’s mom went on her regular run route past the high school, she saw members of the dance team gathered in the high school parking, where loud music was playing.

What was actually unfolding included Achcar-Winkels and more than a dozen other girls being ‘called derogatory names, pelted with water balloons, sprayed with ketchup-filled water guns and ordered to wrestle each other in swimsuits on a tarp with maple syrup, soap and oatmeal, [while] observers threw syrup-coated feathers on them,’ according to the Lake Oswego News. 

At least some of the boys on site smelled of alcohol and marijuana, the teen’s mother said, and some of the girls were screaming for the upperclassmen to stop. 

A week after it happened, the teen reported it anonymously to an assistant coach for the team. That coach reported to then-head coach Nordlum, and it went up the chain from there.

Somehow, the girl’s teammates suspected it was Achcar-Winkels who reported the events, and they began to exclude her from activities.

Achcar-Winkels left the team one month later, but before doing so,  Nordlum threatened to suspend her ‘if her mother didn’t stop telling people about alcohol and drugs being involved during the initiation,’ Leta Gorman, attorney for the Achcar-Winkels family, said during the trial.

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here being driven to a location while blindfolded during a team initiation in 2011

Members of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team are seen here being driven to a location while blindfolded during a team initiation in 2011

A member of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team is seen here being kissed during a team initiation in 2011; This photo was admitted into court evidence in Achcar-Winkels' case

A member of the Lakeridge High School Pacer Dance Team is seen here being kissed during a team initiation in 2011; This photo was admitted into court evidence in Achcar-Winkels’ case

After that, Nordlum benched the teen during a football game while the rest of her teammates performed, as usual.

It wasn’t until Nov. 2014 that Lake Oswego Superintendent Heather Beck ordered an investigation into the activities that took place on Aug. 9, 2014.

Attorneys for the defendants presented evidence that the Achcar-Winkels family requested no investigation be conducted to protect their daughter from retaliation.

The results showed hazing took place, and the school district should have investigated the issue immediately. 

“‘The school administration had obtained sufficient information that hazing occurred shortly after the event, but acceded to parents’ requests at the time to focus on avoiding future occurrences rather than undertaking an investigation as to what had occurred,’ the report said.

‘Irrespective of the parents’ wishes, an investigation should have been undertaken immediately and with appropriate discretion and safeguards to limit recrimination.’

Achcar-Winkels (R) has been ignored, taunted, called a snitch and told to kill herself for the past three years since reporting the hazing; She has now been awarded $70,000 by a jury

Achcar-Winkels (R) has been ignored, taunted, called a snitch and told to kill herself for the past three years since reporting the hazing; She has now been awarded $70,000 by a jury

Since the 2014 complaint, the school district has made policy changes, Beck said.  

‘We have learned from these events, strengthened our commitment to providing a positive athletics culture, and we have changed our policies, procedures, and practices with our coaching staff,’ she said in a statement.

Sports coaches are now all required to sign agreements that they’ve received hazing and harassment training, Beck said. 

She and Lakeridge Principal Jennifer Schiele declined to provide further comment. 

Beck has announced that she will resign at the end of the school year for another job.    

Throughout this entire process, the teen was never interviewed by any school administrator, and only met the superintendent during the trial, she told Oswego Lake News. 

The jury found that the Lake Oswego School District and Schiele were negligent in their failure to immediately investigate the hazing claims, and awarded Achcar-Winkels $70,000.

‘It wasn’t about the money, it was all about the word getting out that this happens and the administrations, principals, coaches they all need to stand up and help the people who speak up,’ the teen said.

‘Don’t tell kids who speak up for what was wrong to be quiet.’

 



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