Freshmen on the Lakeridge High School dance team were told that their initiation would be a bonding event filled with funny costumes, games, pizza and movies.

But what actually transpired on the evening of Aug. 9 sparked complaints from dancers, the resignation of an assistant coach, a district investigation and a flurry of media attention.

The girls were called degrading names and hit with water balloons by a group of mostly male students, according to new details provided to the Oregonian/Oregonlive about the night by a family friend of one of the freshmen and the mother of the assistant coach who quit over the incident.

Later, they say, the dancers wrestled in front of the group while covered in syrup and feathers. The girls were asked to yell obscenities outside downtown Lake Oswego businesses -- prompting a police report -- and asked trivia questions provided by the coach while standing in the Willamette River. Every wrong answer meant a step deeper into the water.

Shelly Figueroa, a friend of one of the families, said she is coming forward with details of the initiation to pressure the district to make changes at the school. The account comes directly from the girl, who first reported the incident, and her family.

Figueroa wonders why there has been no disciplinary action against the coach or the team, while the girl is continually bullied. The families of the girls who first brought concerns to school officials have declined to comment because they are considering litigation, Figeroua said.

An investigation released in December by the Lake Oswego School District determined that the initiation was hazing. The details of what took place, however, are sparse in the report.

The district, which did not return a request to comment for this story, said in a statement that it will increase training for employees in response to the incident. So far, the district has not said if it will take disciplinary actions against the team or the first-year head coach, Kayla Nordlum.

Initiation Night

What no one disputes is that the team of more than 20 girls met at the house of a senior dancer on the night of Aug. 9. The event was planned by the senior dancers and the coach was not present. The seniors wore dance team T-shirts while the other dancers donned funny costumes, Figueroa said.

The non-senior dancers were soon blindfolded, packed into vehicles where some sat unbuckled on the floor and driven to downtown Lake Oswego, where they shouted obscenities outside local restaurants and businesses, Figueroa said. The game was designed to humiliate and embarrass the dancers, according to the district's investigation. A Lake Oswego Police report shows that an employee at Zeppo's Italian Restaurant reported teenagers climbing on cars and causing trouble at 9:32 p.m.

Next, the girls stopped at the Lakeridge High School stadium, where a group of students not associated with the dance team had gathered. The group threw water balloons at the blindfolded girls, Figueroa said. A few asked for it to stop and began to cry, Figueroa said, but they were told they deserved it. Some of outside students were "likely" under the influence of marijuana and alcohol, according to the district's investigation.

The girls were called names and intimidated by the older dancers and the group of students, who reportedly requested "a sexual favor" from the girls, according to the Figueroa and the district investigation.

Soon, the girls were asked to remove their costumes and stand in their bikinis while they were given garbage bags to wear, Figueroa said. The older dancers dumped syrup, ketchup, oatmeal and powder on the girls, Figueroa said. The girls were told to wrestle on top of feathers that had been laid on the field and later told to dance with the boys, she said.

The activities at the stadium were observed by an adult and confirmed to a district investigator, according to a summary of the report released to the Oregonian.

Next, the girls were taken to George Rogers Park and to the Willamette River. The girls played a game where they must answer trivia questions provided by coach Nordlum while standing in the water, Figueroa said. For each question they got wrong, they were to step deeper into the river, Figueroa said.

To get a ride back to the house, the girls had to chase after a moving car without shoes, Figueroa said. Once back at the home of the senior dancer, they jumped into the pool and found a rock with their name on it, Figueroa said.

Figueroa said the girls' phones were taken away by an adult supervisor before the girls left the house. At no point did the girls have the choice to walk away from the activities, she said. "They were threatened and yelled at," she said. "Not at any point did the seniors consider stopping the bullying, humiliation, abuse and assault."

But in interviews with the Oregonian last month, some parents said that the investigation misrepresented what really happened at initiation night. Some said their daughters did not feel threatened by the activities.

"She didn't feel like this was hazing," said Jill Milinois, the mother a freshman dancer.

The dancers Milinois spoke with said they felt the initiation was a good experience and they didn't feel pressured into anything they didn't want to do. Since the beginning, her daughter has felt welcome and accepted by the team. "When all this came out, it as very much opposing anything that was our experience," she said.

Suzanne Young, a team volunteer, previously wondered why the entire team was not interviewed for the report, instead of almost exclusively the girls who alleged the hazing. She questioned findings criticizing coach Nordlum, whom the dancers and parents very much respect, she said.

Still, Young said she respects that some girls on the more than 20 member team may have felt uncomfortable with the initiation. The team needs to learn from the incident and make changes, she said. "I know that not everyone responds the same to all situations."

Young and other parents did not respond to or declined requests for comment for this story.

'Retribution'

The freshman girl who initially came forward faced retribution from her coach, according to the investigation.

The girl brought concerns to assistant coach Lily Schauffler just two days after the initiation. Schauffler soon reported what she'd heard to Lakeridge administrators, including athletic director Ian Lamont, according to Lily's mother Gretchen Schauffler, who was asked by Lily to speak on her behalf.

After a meeting between the girl's family and Lakeridge administrators, both agreed to a resolution: All teams would be talked to about hazing and warned that it could never happen again, Gretchen Schauffler said.

The resolution was clearly communicated to coach Kayla Nordlum, Gretchen Schauffler said. But in late August, Nordlum told Lily Schauffler she didn't believe hazing actually took place and demanded to know which dancer reported the incident. Schauffler refused to say, so Nordlum threatened to have Schauffler removed from her position, and Schauffler soon quit, her mother said.

The next day, the coach emailed the girl's parents and threatened to suspend their daughter from the team if they continued to spread rumors, Gretchen Schauffler said. The district's investigation also confirms this.

"I hope I don't hear anything more about this night from anyone else, but if I do it could result in some sort of suspension," Nordlum said in the email, which was provided to The Oregonian/Oregonlive. "I hope you understand I'm not trying to be harsh but communication about concerns needs to go to no one but me."

The email prompted a meeting among the girls' parents, Lily Schauffler, and Lakeridge administrators Principal Jennifer Schiele and Lamont. The administrators vowed to take action, according to Gretchen Schauffler, who said she was also present at the meeting.

Later, the coach told the senior girls the identity of the girl who reported the incident, Gretchen Schauffler said. This sparked retaliation and bullying from the coach, teammates and even some parents, Figueroa said. The girl soon quit the dance team.

After two other girls quit the team, they were digitally removed from the team photo and replaced with the coaches' images. The altered photo was circulated online and on posters.

In November, the girl's family went to Superintendent Heather Beck, who soon ordered an investigation.

Figueroa said the girl is still the target of retribution.

Requests for comment from Lakeridge High School Principal Jennifer Schiele and team coach Kayla Nordlum were not returned.

In a letter to Lakeridge parents, Schiele apologized for the incident and vowed to shift the culture that allowed it to occur. Schiele listed four immediate actions: All students will attend a Feb. 13 assembly that deals directly with bullying and harassment; administrators will receive training on hazing; all staff will receive training on how to identify covert bullying in the classroom and hallways; all coaches and athletes will attend a session with Bruce Brown of Proactive Coaching.

In a Jan. 7 statement, Beck addressed the dance team initiation and the recent firing of Lake Oswego High School basketball coach Mark Shoff. The school removed Shoff following an alleged physical interaction with a player at the Les Schwab Invitational in December.

Beck expressed disappointment and said that addressing these kinds of incidents is never simple, as there are always multiple points of view and rarely unanimous agreement. But in both cases the district's investigation process worked.

"We trust the results of the investigations, we made appropriate and timely decisions, and we are focused on moving forward with a spirit of improvement, not recrimination," she said.

And in regard to inquires about consequences for the hazing, Beck said that the district "makes personnel decisions that follow consistent processes and procedures," but will not comment on personnel matters or disciplinary matters involving students. The district will refocus its attention on its hazing, harassment and bullying policy, she said.

Moving forward, the district will raise awareness about these issues and require training for students, staff, coaches, and parents.

"We have an opportunity to use this moment as a catalyst for change and continuous improvement," Beck said.

-- Michael Bamesberger

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