Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills, Woodland Hills students call attention to young lives lost
Students in the Pittsburgh area are leveraging the national conversation around school safety to tackle issues they say are impacting communities close to home.
"Part of school safety is gun violence," said Malik Paolucci, a junior at Penn Hills High School. "If we could take certain steps to stop gun violence, our schools would be safer as well."
Students from Mt. Lebanon, Penn Hills and Woodland Hills joined together Friday to host events throughout the day focused on calling attention to the young lives lost to gun violence in the Pittsburgh area. The events happened against the backdrop of the National School Walkout that took place in schools across the country Friday marking the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. More than 2,100 events were registered with the national campaign, which was organized by students from Ridgefield High School in Connecticut.
About 75 students from Penn Hills were joined by peers from neighboring school district Woodland Hills for a walkout Friday morning. The students walked just over a half mile from Penn Hills High School to the Penn Hills YMCA on Frankstown Road, where they took turns at the microphone sharing their experiences with losing friends and family to gun violence.
Though Penn Hills and Woodland Hills are fierce sports rivals, Woodland Hills junior Ciara Turner said this is an issue that the two communities must take on together.
"I felt Penn Hills was in the same pain as us," Turner said. Her twin brother, Jerame Turner, 16, also a student at Woodland Hills, died in a shooting in November.
"There are young people out here that want to make a change, and want to see it be different," said Kahlil Darden, an 11th-grader at Penn Hills.
Darden said that he lost his uncle to gun violence. Since then, he has wanted to find ways to change the world by reaching out to other families who have been impacted by gun violence and to help them cope, he said.
"In an institution of learning, the children shouldn't have to be worried about gun violence," said John Petrucci, a member of Penn Hills council who attended the rally at the YMCA. Their focus should be on learning, he added.
"We're here to listen to them," said Erin Vecchio, president of the Penn Hills School Board. She encouraged students to get involved with local politics by making sure they are registered to vote and attending school board meetings.
Students from Woodland Hills also joined their peers in Mt. Lebanon Friday for a rally after school at Washington Elementary School in the Mt. Lebanon School District.
"If we can at least talk about it and make them aware, then it will help our situation," said Angelo Hodge, a 10th-grader at Woodland Hills and member of the group Woodland Hills Students Against Gun Violence. He shared his own experiences with gun violence during the rally: In addition to losing Jerame Turner, who was his cousin, Hodge said he was nearly shot in an incident that injured his friend.
Grace Brennan, an 11th-grader at Woodland Hills, also spoke at the Mt. Lebanon rally. She wants to raise awareness about how gun violence impacts communities just a short drive from Mt. Lebanon, she said.
"It's our friends being killed in the streets," Brennan said. "It's what happens in inner city neighborhoods every night."
Mt. Lebanon held a walkout during the school day Friday, but students said it was important to hold a community event as well.
"A lot of us can't vote, so it's really integral that we get this message out not only to the kids, but to the adults," said Spencer Byham-Carson, a 12th-grader at Mt. Lebanon and member of Students for Change, the group that organized the event.
Moving forward, the students plan to host forums with local lawmakers, said Students for Change founder Flynn Begor, an 11th-grader at Mt. Lebanon High School. She wants to make sure that students are consulted as legislation is developed.
"We're the most impacted by it," Begor said.
Jamie Martines is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at jmartines@tribweb.com, 724-850-2867 or via Twitter @Jamie_Martines.
Correction: April 26, 2018
This story was modified to correct John Petrucci's title. He is a member of Penn Hills council, not the Penn Hills School Board.
