Violence a problem at Middletown High
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Violence is a growing problem at Middletown High School.
If you don't believe me, just ask Principal Dennis Newell, who spends almost as much time breaking up fights between students and acting as a peace officer in the hallways as he does with his other administrative duties on a given day.
Extras
Fortunately, things haven't escalated to the point of other school tragedies that we've seen on TV or read about in the newspapers. But if the current climate at MHS remains unchecked, how much longer will we be able to comfortably make that claim?
My cousin, Kevin L. Aldridge (yes, for those who are unfamiliar, we do share the same name), was so concerned about the situation he approached me in December with a plan he felt could make a difference. He called it the Call to C.A.R.E campaign.
It was a program aimed at promoting nonviolence in the schools. It also focused on mentoring and teaching kids how to communicate effectively, be accountable, show respect and how to bring positive energy into school each day.
Over the next several days, Kevin and I refined his proposal and scheduled meetings with Superintendent Steve Price, Newell and MHS teachers to pitch the plan. Because Kevin had formed a positive relationship with Newell through his previous involvement in programs at MHS, we were allowed to bring the Call to C.A.R.E campaign into the high school.
So far we've done two presentations and dialogue sessions with 9th-, 10th- and 11th-graders — one in January, the other on May 2. On Friday, we had more intimate conversations with students who have had problems with discipline.
Thus far, the Call to C.A.R.E campaign has been more successful than we thought possible when we began this endeavor. We've formed partnerships with Miami University Middletown, the Middletown NAACP, Healthy Choices, KLA Ministries Inc., and other organizations and individuals have expressed interest in joining the effort. In fact, Kelly Cowan, MUM's dean of students, is heavily involved and has participated in two of our three sessions at the high school.
The teachers and administrators at the high school do their best to try to educate students and keep the peace, but that task these days may be more than they can handle alone. The Call to C.A.R.E campaign is not just about teaching students how to be accountable, it's also a call to action for the community to get more involved in the schools.
Like the U.S. Marines, the high school needs a few good men to come inside and be mentors to these young boys, some of whom don't have male figures in their lives to teach them how to act. Good women are also need because there are young ladies that need the same kind of mentoring.
One thing I've learned since I started becoming more involved with the students is that they desperately want to helped. But more importantly, they want to be heard. There is a glimmer of hope in the eye of even the most hardened deviant, but to find it you have to be willing to listen to them.
It is my hope as the Call to C.A.R.E gains momentum that more people in the community will want to become involved and volunteer their time to walk the hallways, mentor students and help change the climate at MHS.
