en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:25:46 GMT 15 By Golmah Zarinkhou, Ilse Hernandez, and Tara Pesaran
Violence never ceases, but high school violence should always be cause for widespread shock and disgrace.   With over 23,000 gangs in Los Angeles, gang violence worsens each year. Many types of hatred and hostility exist in the world.  At Hamilton High School, LAUSD, threatening messages were written on the wall of the boy’s bathroom in April. One of the threats stated, “Jews will be injured.” The possibility of harm in hallways is not unthinkable, and that truth is unbelievable.  Unfortunately, safety in high school is not expected by many students in today’s world. On April 13, a sixteen-year old student was shot at Locke Senior High School, LAUSD, before morning classes began. In February, there were two school shootings in Memphis, Tennessee. The first occurred in Hamilton High School in Memphis. Shot by a sophomore, Jerome Love was said to have been arguing over rap lyrics before the ridiculous debate grew too heated for verbal battle.    The second shooting took place in Mitchell High School, Memphis, where, for an unknown reason, Corneilous Cheers shot a classmate during physical education. He simply shot the student, told the coach, “It’s over now,” and handed the gun over without fleeing. Clearly, Cheers considered his actions justifiable but irreparable. A possible prevention for such situations and perspectives would be to provide more instruction in conflict resolution and anger management. University High School is fortunate to have Man Talk, Girls’ Inc., and Peer Mediation on campus. These groups aid teens in communicating with each other and adjusting to a high school environment.   Without support and understanding, students may never rise above violence, which will greedily continue its poisonous spread. ]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:54:20 GMT