Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Monday, January 5, 2009
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Martinsville Schools Superintendent Scott Kizner wants to involve the entire community in addressing bullying and other safety concerns that students face.
Toward that end, he and other school officials and community leaders have organized a two-day program titled “Safe Schools/Safe Communities: We are All in this Together.”
The first part of the program will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13. Half the day will be devoted to students in Martinsville High School, and half will be devoted to students at Martinsville Middle School.
A parent, student and community program is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the Martinsville High School cafeteria. A free dinner will be included.
“The whole community has to take responsibility for making sure young people do the right thing” not just when they are in school, but all the time, Kizner said.
During the first day of the program, teams of guidance counselors, principals, Kizner and other school personnel, representatives of the Martinsville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Piedmont Community Services, Citizens Against Family Violence (CAFV), law enforcement and probation officers, CHILL (Communities Helping Improve Local Lives), local ministers, school resource officers and others will join forces to present programs to the students.
Among the topics to be discussed are conflict resolution and problem solving; managing peer pressure and stress; how to prevent and respond to bullying and teasing; Internet safety and cyber-bullying; sexual coercion of minors and dating issues; teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; the consequences of criminal behavior; and involvement with illegal drug activities.
Kizner said programs will be held in classrooms with small groups of students.
Students also will be encouraged to attend a second portion of the event in the Martinsville High School auditorium, Kizner said.
He plans to send letters to area churches and request that those with mid-week services have their congregations attend the event, and letters asking business representatives to attend also are planned.
“We’re asking everybody to join us,” Kizner said, adding that school is in session only a few months of the year. However, youngsters have needs “365 days a year,” he said.
Registration for the community dinner Jan. 14 is appreciated to help with food preparation, but not mandatory.
“If you don’t register, still come,” Kizner said.
Students, parents and others will have an opportunity to offer input or ideas on what would make a safer school and community, and several break-out sessions, geared for both parents and students, are planned. They include topics on child and adolescent development; law and parental responsibility; effective parenting and discipline; how to talk to your child; teasing and bullying — what can a student do?; dealing with frustration and anger — tips for students; cyber-bullying — what can an adult do?; signs/symptoms of drug and alcohol involvement; and why won’t my parents listen to me — better communication and understanding.
Kizner said there are immediate actions that parents, business owners and others can take to build safer schools and a safer community.
“We pay a lot of attention to kids who are not doing what we want them to do,” he said. But sometimes, not as much attention is paid to youngsters who attend school, earn good grades and are otherwise “doing the right thing.”
Those youngsters need attention and praise for their achievements, he said.
Because many students have after-school jobs, Kizner suggested businesses that employ students might consider “talking to them about the importance of school attendance” and possibly even base promotions or pay increases on school attendance.
Residents also can get involved by spending an hour a week or more befriending a youngster or becoming a mentor, he said.
Kizner stressed the importance of asking students about what they are learning in school and not accept “nothing” as an answer.
“Some young people don’t have anybody at home to talk to” even about the good things, he said. “It is amazing what one hour a week will do” when it is invested in a youngster. |
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