Johanna Orozco is loud, funny and by no means modest.

In high school she made good grades and was popular. She kept herself busy with theater and dance.

But none of that kept her from becoming entangled in an abusive relationship that, in the end, scarred her physically and emotionally.

Orozco, 22, recently spoke to students at Sandusky High School, detailing her relationship with Juan Ruiz.

She explained how the relationship morphed from love to bitter jealousy, then to cruelty before she finally broke it off.

Ruiz later shot her in the face after she accused him of raping her.

He's now serving a 27-year prison sentence.

"I don't want any of you to go through what I went through," Orozco told students in a health careers class. "I don't want any of you to go through what Juan's going through. He threw his life away."

Orozco spoke to sophomores in Sandusky High's health classes, as well as health careers students.

Presentations like hers could become more common in schools as they seek to comply with the Tina Croucher Act, approved last year and named after an Ohio teen whose ex-boyfriend shot and killed her in 1992.

"Tina's Law" adds dating violence to the definition of "harassment, intimidation or bullying."

It requires schools to add dating violence prevention to the curriculum in grades seven through 12, and also requires staff to receive training so they can recognize and prevent such violence.

Widespread abuse

Abusive relationships among teens is widespread but often overlooked or minimized, according to statistics and experts.

Surveys by the Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland indicate 33 percent of teenagers have been in an abusive relationship or know someone who has been, executive director Linda Johanek said.

"The rate of teen dating violence is alarming," she said. "When we go into schools, what we're hearing from teenagers is how an abusive dating relationship is somewhat normalized among this generation of teenagers."

Stories about domestic violence persist in American culture, inevitably filtering down to teens.

After singer Chris Brown beat Rihanna, half the teens in a Boston survey attributed at least part of the blame to Rihanna.

In Orozco's audience, some girls "oohed" when she said she had met Brown.

She cut them off and took a more strident tone.

"My heart would melt for that guy, but what he did is so wrong. I don't even like him anymore," Orozco said. "Nobody deserves to get hit that way, no matter how cute he is or how much money he has. He was wrong."

A local battle

Sandusky Schools is complying with Tina's Law by adopting the Ohio School Boards Association's model policy.

With its staff trained, Sandusky Schools is implementing programs in eighth grade and covering the topic in consumer and family science classes at the high school, superintendent Tom Tucker said.

"Some of our students consider, quote, 'dating' early on," Tucker said. "When they get the information early, we can follow up every year."

Dating violence is present even in the most quiet, rural high schools, as Margaretta High students discovered.

In an informal survey of 65 Margaretta High students, 29 percent said they've been physically abused and 15 percent sexually abused.

The school's health teachers and guidance counselors are taking an online course in dealing with dating violence, superintendent Ed Kurt said, and there's a new statement in the student handbook about dating violence. The topic will be added to the curriculum for eighth- and ninth-grade health classes.

There's also a student initiative at Margaretta. Students in the family relations class wanted to address the problem after completing a unit on abusive relationships.

So they researched the topic, surveyed fellow students and put together an awareness week for January. They've put up posters and make daily announcements about statistics and resources for help. Each day two of the students from the class wear attention-grabbing red T-shirts printed with numbers for an anonymous hotline.

The students said they were shocked when they saw the numbers that came back from their survey because physical violence is not visible at school.

"People just kind of tend to overlook it," said Shelby Kromer, a senior.

The school's ability to respond to the problem is limited because so few people report that anything is wrong, Kurt said. An awareness week can help by reducing the stigma and providing other avenues to get help.

"No one talks about it, but when it's anonymous, it starts coming out," Kurt said.

Students may also be more receptive to hearing the anti-violence message from their peers, he said.

Teens helping teens (SUBHED)

That is one thing the Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland has found in conducting educational programs and focus groups. So they try to send young people like Orozco to speak in schools and try to educate teens to help their friends.

"One of the things the Crouchers say is they never knew their daughter was in an abusive relationship, but many of her friends knew, and they didn't say anything," Johanek said.

Teens can tell their friends that abuse is not their fault, they deserve better and they should tell an adult. If the person being abused won't tell an adult, a friend should, even if it means losing the friendship, Orozco said.

"She will love you and thank you for it for the rest of her life," she said. "So it's worth it."

Tina's Law (SUBHED)

Orozco lobbied for Tina's Law and another law that allows juveniles to apply for protection orders, a tool that was not available to her when Ruiz stalked her after she dumped him.

The Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland is part of the Tina Project, a collaborative that will assist schools in 11 Northeast Ohio counties in complying with Tina's Law.

The law is good but not perfect, Johanek said.

"It recognizes the importance of teen dating violence and recognizes how pervasive it is," she said. "I think the weakness of the bill is that a school could do a very bare minimum and say they're in compliance."

One of the most effective activities is bringing in speakers who can provide testimony.

"We had over 100 teens come forward on the spot," Johanek said about one event last year. "After we leave, we get more reports from the schools, who say that other victims have come forward."

That happened when Orozco visited Sandusky High School, said Patsy McKenna, health careers instructor.

"I think it motivated a few people to talk to some teachers," she said. "I'm aware of a few that had some conversations with people."

The students who listened to Orozco said having schools address dating violence specifically could help.

"They should have programs for kids who are getting abused," said Megan Tapp, a senior.

Tapp once had a friend in an abusive relationship but didn't say anything. After hearing Orozco's story, she said she would be more inclined to encourage a friend to break up with an abuser or tell an adult.

Senior Tremaine McCarthy also said he knew a girl in an abusive relationship. Her mother eventually sent her to another school.

"I think if you go in depth about it, they'll learn and not get into those situations," McCarthy said. "Don't beat around the bush."