By Raju Woodward, Gazette-Times Reporter gazettetimes.com

During the excitement of Crescent Valley High School’s pep rally Friday, four leadership students quieted the gym by delivering a powerful message. Seniors Gabriel Choi and Hayley De Carolis and juniors Drummond Fudge and Cesar MonRoy want to help eliminate casual use of the word retard at CV.

They showed a short film clip that featured actor John C. McGinley, who is famous for playing the role of acid-tongued Dr. Perry Cox on the TV show “Scrubs.” McGinley, who has a son with Down syndrome, is a spokesperson for the National Down Syndrome Society. During the clip, McGinley explains why he has never used the R-word in the comedy-drama, despite the fact that his character, Dr. Cox, is notorious for cutting the interns he supervises to the quick with his biting insults.

Retard is a legitimate word when used as a synonym, meaning to slow. It is a medical term as well, although perhaps somewhat dated and out of favor. But among teens and their peers — who put the emphasis on the first syllable — retard has become a commonly used insult word that can be hurtful to some students and to their friends, family and advocates.

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