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| Estimated 800-1,000 take part in MHS sessions on behavior |
School Superintendent Scott Kizner addresses an overflow crowd in the Martinsville High School cafeteria. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray) |
Thursday, January 15, 2009
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
The huge crowd of students, parents and other area residents at Martinsville High School (MHS) Wednesday night for the “Safe Schools/Safe Communities” program astounded city schools Superintendent Scott Kizner.
Kizner estimated the crowd at 800. However, police communicating through their radio system said the crowd may have been as many as 1,000.
School officials had anticipated between 150 and 300 people.
“The response tonight was beyond our wildest imaginations,” Kizner said.
A free meal of hamburgers and hot dogs was served to those present. The crowd was so large that the line of people waiting to be served encircled the MHS cafeteria by the time the program started at 6 p.m., and people still were waiting to be served at 7 p.m. when the crowd broke into small groups to attend classes on various topics pertaining to negative behavior.
Apparently there was enough food on hand in the cafeteria to feed the crowd. But for lunch at MHS today, Kizner joked, “we won’t be having hamburgers and hot dogs ... as I had promised” earlier in the week.
Kizner attributed the size of the crowd to three things — interest among area residents in the topics being discussed, the free food and extra credit that many teachers offered students whose parents attended.
“Safe Schools/Safe Communities” began Tuesday with students at the high school and Martinsville Middle School attending special classes on topics such as the consequences of criminal behavior, bullying, sexual coercion of minors and teenage pregnancy.
The classes were taught by school system employees and guest speakers from organizations that deal with negative behavior, including the courts, law-enforcement agencies, Piedmont Community Services and Citizens Against Family Violence.
“There’s a real need to talk about” such issues, Kizner said. He hopes the event spawns further discussions in the community on the topics.
Wednesday night, parents and other adults, as well as some teenagers, attended similar classes and others on child and adolescent development, effective parenting and signs that teens are using drugs and alcohol.
“Tonight we are a community of one ... united” to try and rid the area of drugs, violence and other negative influences on youth, Kizner said.
“Adults have a responsibility to the children of this community” to try and eradicate negative influences and make life better for them, he said.
In doing so, people must work together to develop solutions to problems, not place blame, said Kizner.
By the size of Wednesday night’s crowd, he added, it is obvious “there is a real desire by people in this community to want to work together” to handle these issues.
Two MHS students told the crowd that young people often get involved in negative behavior due to a lack of constructive things to do.
“Kids just don’t have anywhere to go,” said junior Teryn Martin, a student member of the Martinsville School Board. The area needs a place where “everybody can join (together) and have a good time.”
Margaret Gross, a senior, said those who plan activities for youth should promote the activities better. For instance, she said organizers should let schools know so they can make students aware of the activities.
When youth activities are planned, “one reason why people don’t get involved is that they don’t have transportation,” Gross said.
She suggested that local organizations work together to find a way to provide students with transportation to youth events.
Gross urged parents to encourage their kids to find a way to become involved in something constructive because colleges often take into account students’ involvement when deciding who to admit.
Tony Gunn, the parent of a MHS student, said he liked the ideas he heard during Wednesday night’s program.
“It confirmed a lot of what I knew, but I’m glad to hear it again,” Gunn said.
By attending a session on how parents and their children communicate, he said he got “a better idea of what is going through his (son’s) head.”
Gunn said he hopes “Safe Schools/Safe Communities” will be held again.
“We want to continue doing this but we want to improve” upon it in the future, Kizner said. |
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