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Austintown district to host PEACE week
By christine keeling
austintown
A short-term grant will give Austintown students and the community the opportunity to learn how to resolve conflict without violence.
The Austintown Local School District will host PEACE week beginning Sept. 19 for students and ending Sept. 23 with a community event featuring food and vendors. The anti-conflict campaign is being funded from a $10,000 state Safe and Drug-free Schools Dissemination of Information grant awarded to the district.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Peggy Bennett, district coordinator of Safe and Drug-free Schools. “It’s a huge opportunity to make students aware of the issue and educate adults about topics such as cyber-bullying and Internet safety.”
During the Pupils and Educators Against Conflict Everywhere week, students will have the opportunity to learn skills to deal with conflicts in a positive way and take part in a variety of activities. A coloring contest is planned for children in kindergarten through third grade, and an essay contest and speakers are planned for middle- and high-school children.
The speaker will focus on good character and conflict resolution, said Bennett.
Residents can participate in the campaign before the Sept. 23 Hall of Fame football game at Fitch Stadium.
Vendors and free food will be available from 5 to 7 p.m. on the high-school tennis courts adjacent to the football field. During the event, each school will have displays showing its activities related to PEACE week. Vendors to be invited include D&E Counseling Services, Neil Kennedy Recovery Center, Teen Challenge, Austintown School Based Health Care, DARE and Help Hotline.
Barb Kliner, fiscal and grants manager for the district, said the grant Bennett applied for and received was granted on a first-come, first-served basis and short term. This means the district has until Sept. 30 to plan and spend the money according to the grant specifications.
“The purpose of the grant is to get out information,” said Kliner.