Dear Northside News:
There were many discussions in the hallways and classrooms surrounding the tragic events in Colorado. Recently in classes at Black Hawk Middle School, we have been expressing our ideas and opinions about how we can prevent this devastating situation from ever occuring agin in our nation’s schools. We have put together an article containing students thoughts on this sensitive issue. We give our deepest sympathy to the people who were affected by this tragic event.
Our classmates wrote about the many influences on teenagers today. We felt video games, violence on TV, bad neighborhoods and parental neglect are reasons for student outbursts of anger against their peers. Many talked about peer pressure that causes depression and a feeling of not fitting in. Nicole feels that teens have a lot on their minds such as school, family problems and friends. People don’t realize that when kids get teased it really hurts inside. Teenagers with problems should talk to someone to express how they feel.
Nick says that adults think kids are influenced by video games, but for him video games are a way to take out his anger without directing it towards other people.
Liz feels that teens turn to violence because they can’t figure out how to communicate with people. They misinterpret when someone says the wrong thing and since they don’t know how to handle their anger, they get frustrated and do something drastic.
Many of our classmates feel that some teens feel like they don’t fit in and have low self-esteem due to what their peers think of them.
Geenah thinks there needs to be more after school activities for kids. She said parents should pay more attention to their children and talk to them about how to handle their anger and what the results are for handling their anger in an unproductive way.
Tyler believes parents should spend more time with their kids. Parents should take their kids camping or fishing and just talk to them to show them how much they love them.
Another person believes parents need to have more control over their own children. More importantly, there needs to be rules to keep guns and bullets locked up.
Molly said it is important to do little things to make people feel good about themselves. She adds, “If you walk down the hall and see someone who is feeling unhappy, say “Hi” to them to brighten their day.”
Heather thinks parents need to make positive comments about their children and make them feel good about who they are. She also said that she thinks it would be helpful to have counselors come in and talk about how to solve problems without fighting and without using negative words that hurt the other person’s feelings.
Rachel’s opinion is that we can prevent teens from turning to violence by having guidance counselors to discuss their problems with. She thinks that schools should invite college students to talk with teenagers so they can confide in someone more their age. There needs to be discussions, Rachel writers, about the consequences of expressing their anger in a negative way.
Since teens crave attention, schools need to create classes for them and acknowledge their accomplishments and let them know they are important.
Many questioned whether schools are safe. Most students said they feel safe at Black Hawk, but there are things that should be considered affecting their safety, such as security, gun control and supervision of students. We hope everyone will realize how serious this problem is and take steps to help prevent this serious event from reoccuring.
Sincerely,
Chloe Moushey and Molley Holzem
7th Grade, Black Hawk Mid. School