According to junior Tameka Wilsey, there’s no reason why Norwich High School shouldn’t be a safe place to learn.
“They have enough rules to make it safe,” said Wilsey. “(Robert) Loomis and (Thomas) LoPiccalo (the school’s hall monitors) are always on top of things, that’s for sure.”
Staying on top of student behavior, and taking an active role in understanding their problems is the key to maintaining a safe school, said Dr. Ted Feinberg, an expert with the National Association of School Psychologists in Washington D.C., during a phone interview with The Evening Sun. “They (teachers, administrators, and parents) need to be vigilant and pay attention to signs and signals that things are brewing that may have tragic implications,” said Feinberg.
Since the early 1990s, school violence has had far-reaching impacts across the country, indiscriminately finding its way into urban, suburban, and rural communities alike. While horrific and high-profile incidents such as the Columbine High School shooting, and the more recent murders in Bailey, Colo. and Quarryville, Pa. by adult intruders have been widely scrutinized, fears of similar incidents occurring locally do not seem to be at the forefront of students’ overall concerns.
When asked if the recent attacks had any effect on how she views her school’s environment, Kristi Irwin, a freshman at Sherburne-Earlville High School, responded, “not really.”
“We have had a lot of bomb threats,” Irwin said. “But I don’t think anything like that is going to happen here. I feel pretty safe.”
One student pointed out that the common fears among classmates probably resonate more with issues of popularity.
“It depends on who you are, if you have a lot of friends,” said sophomore Russell Aylesworth. “If people don’t like you, then sometimes it isn’t safe.”
When asked if he felt the school did enough to address issues of bullying and alienation, Aylesworth replied, “No.”
Norwich High School Psychologist Tricia Della Porta said the school has developed a successful “open-door policy,” encouraging students and teachers to cooperate and confront various issues, and so far the response has been positive.
“A lot of students feel very comfortable coming down to our office,” said Della Porta, explaining that students come on their own or are referred to her department by other teachers, and that sometimes many hours are spent with them working out problems. “They come down here all the time.”
Feinberg said that feelings of helplessness and anger contribute to many of the incidents of school shootings and crimes, and that helping students constructively address bullying and alienation should be a point of emphasis. “When kids are bullied they feel like they have no other recourse; sometimes they feel they have to resort to tragic acts of violence,” he said. “We have to teach kids more effective ways of settling conflicts.”
Norwich High School freshman Jamie Brown said she feels safe at school because she has confidence in herself, and doesn’t believe violence will go beyond threats.
“I feel safe because I can defend myself,” said Freshman Jamie Brown. “This school is all talk, nothing really goes on anyway.”