Even with a security guard, I don't feel secure

Crystal Kolden First Place, 16-19 category; $50, Kitsap Mall

From: Poulsbo

Age: 16

School: Olympic High School

Interests: Sports, writing, painting

Plans: University of Washington for bio-chemistry or teaching

Parents: Mike and Kathy Kolden

Consider the number of teen-agers today who carry guns, knives and other weapons. Consider the number of teenagers who are frequently involved in gang-related activities, fights, drugs and alcohol. Now tell me why I should feel safe at school.

The school system does not do enough to keep its students safe. It makes endless rules and laws to stop the behavior that leads to fights, but these rules only cause the students to become rebellious and more violent. Very little is done to enforce these rules, which is one of the main problems in making the school safe.

At my high school, we have a security guard who roams the halls with a walkie-talkie in his pocket, but I have never once heard the guard ask a wandering student where he or she is going, or what they are doing. To me it seems pointless to have a security guard if all they do is roam around or disappear when a fight breaks out.

Speaking of fights, I have seen three fights this year with my own eyes. But do not think that this is anywhere near the otal number of fights. It is actually only a fraction of the total.

I also remember quite distinctly a day last fall when the school was evacuated due to a bomb threat. The student body was later informed that the search for the "bomb" was conducted by a group of teachers. This group simply looked in each of the trash cans that sit in the halls and then pronounced the school safe for students to re-enter. That made me feel really safe to know that I could have een blown up by a bomb hidden ij a locker or a classroom.

Teen-agers need to be taught that violence is not the answer for their problems, and that pulling dangerous pranks is not going to make them more popular. These things can be taught by the school system, but the system also needs to better enforce the rules they make and allow students to have a part in making the rules.

Other activities such as locker searches and bag checks need to be introduced. Only a few months ago, a bag and coat check was conducted at a local school dance after it was rumored there was going to be a gang fight. No weapons were found, but the fight didn't happen. Students complain that having their belongings gone through is an invasion of their privacy, but if they have nothing to hide, why complain?

Until the school system does something about the violence that goes on right under their noses, the students will never feel safe.

Maybe we need metal detectors and police dogs

Frank Allen

First Place, 15 and under category $50, Kitsap Mall

From: Bremerton

Age: 14

School: Bremerton Middle School

Interests: sports, readijg and hiking

Plans: to become a judge or open his own law firm. He wants to attend a college in the south

MOther: Monique Manning

I don't feel safe in school because wherever you go there's always someone who doesn't like you or the way you dress.

There's always going to be intimidation from people, but you have to stand up and not be afraid. I think people need do talk out their 'roblems with a counselor or a Natural Helper and solve them with non-violence instead of violence. I@ the person who carries a gun to school to intimidate #thers or for his own protection would just think of how much pain and suffering his own family and friends would feel, or how much pain and suffering the victim's family would feel if he were to use that gun to solve his problems, then maybe he wouldn't bring that gun to school.

I know kids bring knives or guns to school because they hate another person for some reason, or they are scared, and they are just sick and tired of running away from their fears and want to stand up for themselves. Think about what could happen if the gun accidentally goes off and shoots the wrkng person like the incident in California. That person would feel so sorry for bringing a gun to school to solve a problem which he/she might have solved by using non-violence. That person and his victim both pay a heavy price for using weapons to solve problems.

I don't feel safe at school because maybe I might get shot or maybe my brothers or sister could be shot accidentally. I don't like not being safe at school because school is supposed to be a place of learning and fun, not a place of killing and beating up people.

If students would just try talking to a counselor or a Natural Helper instead of bringing weapons to school, I think school would be a safer place. But, until someone does something like put metal detectors or police dogs in our school, I think school is going to be a challenge to survive.

Racial tension and harassment may explode into violence

Stephanie Arnold

Second Place, 15 and under category $30, Kitsap Mall

From: Bremerton

Age: 13

School: Bremerton Middle School Interests: reading, horses and hangin' out with friends

Plans: to be a police officer in a major metropolitan city

Mother: Julie Arbold

I am a ctudent at Bremerton Middle School and sometimes I am afraid to come to school, not because I have been harassed in any way, but because I am afraid of what might happen.

I believe that we have a lot of racial tension here at Bremerton Middle School, and all over Kitsap County. When you have a lot of racial tension, it could lead to many different fights, and maybe someone could get hurt very badly. I am afraid that I could be in the halls when a fight starts, and I am afraid someone might pull out a weapon and I could be stuck in the middle of it.

I have only seen one fight this year and it was started by racial comments. I have heard of many other fights and they have been started by things like someone throwing food in the lunch room, fights between girls and guys, pushing in the hallways, and sometimes by calling someone's family members names. Sometimes a girl might be talking bad aboet another girl's boyfriend and that starts a fight. On the other hand, some guy might be talking bad about another guy's girlfriend and that starts a fight. Pushing starts fights in the hall because one person might get pushed accidentally and it all happens like dominoes. A lot of fights start by talking bad about someone's mother or any other family member. One person might call another person's mom a fat ig and dhere is another fight.

Another reason I am afraid of coming to school sometimes, or to be in the halls, is seeing someone getting harassed or pressured to do drugs. I never have been, but I am afraid of it. I !lways hear people talking about how they drink or smoke and I get scared wondering if one day soon I will be asked to try smoking or drinking&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;

I have never really seen anyone with a weapon at school, but I have heard of people bringing them. I have also heard of, but never seen, someone selling weapons off school grounds last year. This year I have heard of people bringing guns, but I don't ever know whether to believe it or not. All I know is that I don't hink I would feel safe at any school anywhere because of all the racial violence and gang violence. No matter what school you go to, or what town you live in, you will never be away from all the violence that you find in schools and towns now.

Some people may believe hat they can get their kids away from the violence by sending them to a private school, but I think that they are wrong. Violence is everywhere you go whether you go to a public or a private school. Some people think that by sending their kids to a private school they can get them away from the pressure of drugs, but again I say they are wrong. I believe anywhere you go you are going to be faced with the problems of weapons, drugs, drinking and various kinds of harassment.

One final kind of harassment at school is sexual harassment. Sometimes kids make sexual remarks, pinch your butt, or try to kiss you. Anyone can be sexually harassed, but some people may not know they have been harassed. I feel our school, and other schools in Kidsap County, should have more information on sexual harassment.

I don't believe that I could ever try to solve this problem because it is too big of a problem for anyone to solve easily. It would take too long for one person to solve. I believe that there should be some way for anybody who wants to go to get together and talk about how to make their kids' schools a better place.

For safety's sake, I transferred do a parochial school

Amanda McNeely

Third place 15 and under category $20, Kitsap Mall

From: Bremerton Age: 13

School: Our Lady Sta' of the Sea

Interests: sports, reading and drawing

Plans: to attend an out-of-state college and become a lawyer Parents: Annette and Shawn McNeely

Are schools safe? That question comes to the mind of many parents who have to decide whether or not to put their kids in the public school system.

In my opinion public schools are no longer safe. Sure the elementary schools ight be OK, but when the day comes that you have to put your child in junior high or high school, the schools are just pl'in dangerous.

Until recently I thought schools were safe. When I started junior high I changed my mind. Some of the reasons why I changed by mind were gangs, drugs, violence, racism and kids bringing weapons to school. Why would any child want to go to a school like that? Isn't school supposed to be a place where you learn and have fun at the same time? How are you supposed to get kids to enjoy learning and want to go to school if they have to worry about getting hurt?

Last year I attended public #chool. This year I am going to a parochial school called Our Lady Star of the Sea. My parents decided to put me in a parochial school because they felt that the public school system was no longer safe. I agree with my parents 100 percent. I have talked to many of my friends that go to a public junior high in Bremerton and they say that there are at least two to four fights a week.

You're probably thinking that am making parochial or private schools sound much safer just because I go to a parochial school, but the fact is I am saying this because I want parents to make sure that their children are going to a safe school. I think that the parochial school I am in now is 100 percent safer than a public school I attended last year.

When you're in a parochial school you don't have to worry about kids in the hallways offering to sell you drugs or asking you to buy weapons. When I went to public school, I used to see people getting beat up just for wearing the wrong color of clothes or because of their skin color.

To sum it up in a sentence or two, I am just saying to all the parents that have children in public schools that they should really think long and hard about this issue. Do you want your kids in a school that puts them in danger? I think not!


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