A national initiative comes to Central Ohio that is designed to end gun violence in school by changing attitudes.
It's part of a national program created by Sandy Hook promise, the parents of children murdered in the 2012 school massacre. The week is called "Start With Hello".
In the cafeteria at Champion Middle School the lunch hour buzzes, but not everyone always feels a part of the activity.
“You never know what other students might be going through, everyone don’t just come to school with bright faces and think today’s going to be a good day,” said School Council President Derria Watson.
Watson knows how tough these years can be.
“Peer pressure and this is really the age you want to be one of the cool kids,” said Watson.
All of that pressure can lead to kids not feeling like they belong.
“Middle school students struggle with identity, who am I? Where do I want to be? What do I want to do? Why am I not fitting in?” said Principal Stephanie Bland.
For that reason, Bland was all for participating in “Start With Hello,” a week long program to bring awareness about kids and isolation. The theme for day one is “Say My Name.” Everyone has a name tag.
“So that we are showing respect for one’s name and who they are,” said Bland.
The next step is putting all of those names together. The kids are writing their names on cut out hands and putting those hands on a tree in the hallway, representing that they’re all one family.
“We have focused on that all school year, not just today,” said Bland.
The Champion Middle School mission aligns directly with the Sandy Hook mission. This year has been stressing non-violence and no bullying.
“Bringing more peace to, not only our school but our community,” said Watson.
“It has reduced our out of school suspensions, it has improved our students being able to be inclusive,” said Bland. “We are attacking all of these issues from the front so our future is bright, we want our students to know we are here, we are with them and we need them.”
More than 300 schools are taking part in “Start With Hello” in Ohio, 89 of them are in central Ohio.