By Michael O’Brien
Special to the Voice
Ed. Note: Some contextual material was added to this story by Voice staff.
The West Haven Public School district is turning the unfortunate events from last week’s beach incident, into a teachable moment for our students. Throughout the week, Bailey Middle School and West Haven High School, with the collaboration of Superintendent Neil C. Cavallaro and the West Haven Police Department, have stressed the importance of good decision-making.
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April 15 saw an influx of young people to city beaches. With the help of social media, hundreds of students from surrounding cities and towns came to the beach. Eventually, city police were called to maintain order, but some scuffling ensued, resulting in officers getting injured while trying to shut down the event.
In the aftermath, a shooting attempt occurred near Campbell Avenue at Noble Street. State police and several departments in surrounding towns came into the city to aid the WHPD in the investigation.
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Stacy Sutton, Assistant Principal at Bailey, created a handout for students at both schools that included strategies and tips to stay safe during the spring and summer months. The document focused on choosing your friends wisely, walking away from conflict, practicing respectful communication, seeking support from trusted adults, standing strong against peer pressure, staying away from unsafe locations, and getting involved in positive activities.
Bailey administrators, outreach workers, and school resource offers visited each social studies classroom to speak to the students and distribute the handout.
“We decided it was really important to look at that incident from last week and talk about it with our kids in small groups,” said Principal Rob Bohan. These small groups had great conversations in the classrooms about the dangers that are out there, while also stressing the positives of the West Haven community.
“We talked about our students being clear on who their friends are and keeping the lines of communication open with their parents/guardians, and getting themselves out of situations that they feel are starting to go downward,” he added.
Students, teachers, and administrators felt it was a very positive experience that received great feedback.
“When Mr. Bohan visited our classroom, I learned that I should watch my surroundings more and watch who I hang around with,” said seventh-grader Jesus Roman. “I kind of have to trust certain people, but not give them all my trust because they may do something wrong or something that could get me in trouble too.”
Added classmate Margarita Buren, “What I learned is that I should make good choices because that will determine my future. I learned that I should make good friends and I should hang out with good people who make good choices. I should also tell my parents the truth and ask them if it’s safe to go somewhere.”
The key talking point of the classroom visits was to surround yourself with the right people and to reiterate the impact a bad decision now, can have on your future. “The kids took it very well, we even had some good conversations about it after Mr. Bohan left,” said Nick Vitale, grade 7 social studies teacher.
“Some of the students were aware of the situation and some were not, but it was a great opportunity to shed some light on what happened and put a positive spin on it,” said seventh-grade teacher Jessica Moore. “Mr. Bohan also reiterated how great it is that we live near the beach and can share this with our community, and not to ruin it for everyone else so that future generations of kids and families can still go to the beach and enjoy it as a community.”
At the high school, outreach worker Richard “Monty” Reynolds played a pivotal role throughout the week, speaking in Whitney Shanley’s social studies classes. Monty’s motivational speeches delivered an endless number of quotes that stuck with our students, who then posted their favorite quotes on a bulletin board in one of the school’s hallways.
“My favorite quote was, ‘Those who live and walk away, live to fight another day,’ because a lot of stuff goes on and you can either decide to drown in the drama or just walk away from it. A lot of bad things can happen, even by good people who have bad habits but good intentions,” said sophomore Antoine Edmond.
“The quote we chose was, ‘It is not what you’re called, it’s what you answer to’ and we chose it because people may call you names and all the above, but that’s not necessarily your character,” exclaimed sophomore Nevaeh Stegall, while her classmate Ziyanna Lowery added, “It shouldn’t matter because if you know who you truly are, then you shouldn’t be listening to what other people may say about you.”
The powerful quotes stuck with many students, as discussions continued after Monty left the rooms. One example, that stood out to Shanley, was the quote “He who turns and runs away, lives to fight another day.”
After hearing this, students realized out loud that, yes, I could walk away even though I feel the buzz and excitement going with the crowd, but the smarter choice is to remove myself from the situation.
Added Principal Paredes, “I think this was a great opportunity for the kids to really understand that this is a time in your life when there are a lot of difficult decisions that are going to come your way, and how important it is to make a good one.”
“My purpose is to encourage the students, to let them know that they do have a future and that what they are going through right now, is not what they are and where they have to stay,” said Monty. “They have ‘greater’ inside of them and they are able to get to that, and I want to encourage them to do that.”