SUPPORTERS INSPIRE GIRL TO RETURN TO CLASSES

JACKSON -- Monday morning was tough for Lindsay Siebert.

She hadn't been to a full day of classes at Jackson Middle School since Feb. 20, the day after she was attacked by classmates over reporting drugs in school.

Back then, Lindsay, 13, didn't know when she would go back to school. She wondered if telling the principal about a boy who claimed to have marijuana was the right decision. After all, even though school officials later said the substance was dillweed, her actions led to days of taunting and then physical violence.

But the support Lindsay received from adults and other teens helped her decide. She was going back to face the ones who wanted her out of school for good.

After an article about Lindsay ran in the Southeast Missourian on March 3, calls and letters came pouring into the Siebert home. The family's phone number is unlisted, but that didn't stop people from doing research and getting through. They wanted to congratulate the teen for her actions and encourage her to continue fighting drugs.

"We need more people in the world like you," one card said. "I know you have a lot of integrity and courage."

"In this crazy society we live in, there are not many people who would have had the courage to stand up for what is right. You did," said another.

Perhaps the biggest boost to Lindsay's morale came when Dr. Walker Wynkoop, a Cape Girardeau orthopedic surgeon with Midwest Physicians and Surgeons, called to say he was trying to collect $1,000 in scholarship money for Lindsay. He has contacted various civic organizations about the fund drive.

And a Jackson barber, Larry Harris, gave Lindsay a $25 savings bond.

Cindi Siebert, Lindsay's mother, said the support has been invaluable to her daughter's mental recovery.

"I was afraid that schools and learning would become scary things," she said. "But the cards and phone calls from people who have been through the same thing have really helped. Lindsay has been like a different person."

Officials with the Jackson Public Schools helped improve the situation, too. Siebert said that Dr. Dan Beard, principal at Jackson Middle School, mailed letters to the parents of those who attacked Lindsay. They said anyone who threatened her would be suspended from school.

And Lindsay's teachers were asked to watch out for her in the hallways.

The experience has made Lindsay wiser and more cautious. If she could go back and repeat the experience, she said, she wouldn't be so naive about what her classmates are capable of doing.

"Now I know what goes on," Lindsay said. "If something like this happens again, I'll be prepared."