Recently, students from Bremen High School District 228’s FCCLA (Family, Community, and Career Leaders of America) classes gathered at Tinley Park High School for a powerful “Stop the Violence” workshop. “Stop the Violence” is an initiative that is part of the national FCCLA organization, to empower students to help stop violence among peers, in the community and at home, by giving them the tools to teach others.
The day started with a short clip from the movie Bang, Bang, You’re Dead, which is about school violence. The students heard Susan Brauer, author of Just Keep Dancing, speak about her experience with domestic violence. Mr. Otis Lane and Mr. Maurice Johnson talked about gang violence, including powerful first hand experiences with the students. The students created “Stop the Violence” t-shirts and then participated in a question-answer session with Police Officer Ryan Gulli from the Midlothian Police Department. The day ended with candlelight stories, where students read eight stories of violence, and for each one a student blows out a candle signifying death from violence.
District 228 includes Bremen, Hillcrest, Oak Forest and Tinley Park High Schools.
