Health Department Honors Students for Anti-Violence Efforts
Created on Wednesday, 13 June 2012 15:37
Contact: Collette DuValle, 317-373-2391
The Marion County Health Department and the local chapter of Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) have honored Marion County 5th through 8th grade students for their efforts in promoting non-violence in the community. SAVE is a student-initiated program that promotes nonviolence within schools and communities. The organization provides education about the effects and consequences of violence and helps provide safe activities for students, parents and communities.
More than 400 students from 24 schools participated in the contest. Awards were presented to those students in each grade whose posters were judged to be artistically the best among the entries. First place winners include:
- 8th grade, Galia Castro, Andrew J. Brown Academy
- 7th grade, Kristina McKinley, Fountain Square Academy
- 6th grade, Desenae Pearson, IPS 55
- 5th grade, Bliss Hardin, IPS 55
SAVE was started by students in Charlotte, NC in 1989 after the death of a classmate who was trying to break up a fight at an off-campus party. A group of students took action in his memory and created a violence prevention program. Their mission, and SAVE’s mission, is to decrease the potential for violence in schools and communities by promoting meaningful student involvement, education and service opportunities to create safer environments for learning.
For more information, contact violence prevention coordinator Byron Johnson at 221-3538 or visit http://www.nationalsave.org/index.php.
