Students vow to keep guns out of school

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

PONCE

Students at Warren County Middle School signed pledges yesterday vowing never to carry a gun to school or use a gun to settle a dispute.

The mass signing was the culmination of the middle school’s observance of the Day of National Concern About Young People and Violence. A nation-wide program, the middle school has been observing the day for the past four years.

While yesterday was the actual signing, the school has been stressing the need for peaceful resolution all week. In addition to gun violence, its program teaches students to avoid of all types of violence as well as anger management and the importance of choices.

“There is a real need for this,” said teacher and event organizer Regina Matheny. “I guess there’s no way you can really know if it’s working or not, but we feel it works.”

This week WCMS has held three school-wide assemblies during which the importance of non-violence and getting along with others was stressed.

Yesterday’s observance also saw Matheny and several of her students travel to local elementary schools where they read books about the dangers of guns to the younger students.