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4-Hers honored Rage 2 School news Rage 6 Teams take to diamond Pages 8 March 10, 2004 Vol. 72, No. 10 Hertford, North Carolina 27944 / NC 27944-1306 18.S Weekly VSD Bullying serious issue SUSAN R. HARRIS Billy Lassiter knows about being bul lied. The slight man, who is an Albino, said he learned to handle the teasing and taunt ing he fell victim to as a youngster. But all victims are not able to cope, and in the end, some wiU even commitment murder and/or suicide. Lassiter was in Perquimans County last week to speak at a public forum and to students and staff about the effects of bullying. He works for the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention - Center for the Prevention of School Violence as a school safety special ist. He is the project coordinator for North Carolina’s statewide school safety tip line and its accompanying educational campaign Working Against Violence Everywhere (WAVE). Lassiter also coordinates a number of other projects. Bullying is defined as a form of aggres sion which involves one or more students verbally, physically and/or psychological ly harassing another student repeatedly over a period of time. Hazing is a type of bul lying. It often begins at the elementary school level, peaks at middle school, then lessens in high school. While there are bul lies and victims, the largest group of people fall into the witness/bystander cat egory Bystanders see what is happening, but make no attempt to stop the bully or help the victim. Research indicates that the type of bully ing being experienced by students today is in many cases more severe than bullying in the past, and has the potential for long-last ing consequences. . Lassiter introduced a bullying continuum, which begins with teasing and taunting . and moves all the way to murder and suicide. Boys are more likely to engage in direct bul lying methods, while girls who bully are more apt to use differ ent methods, such as spreading rumors and social isolation. Boys are more likely to be bullies than girls. Studies show that bullies seem to have a need to feel powerful and in control, and often come from abu sive environments. Victims often have low self-esteem and rarely defend them selves when bullied. Continued on page 8 Elizabeth City man killed in wreck BOB MONTGOMERY The Daily Advance The cause of a wreck that killed an Elizabeth City man driving a UPS delivery truck southbound on U.S. 17 in Perquimans County was still unknown Saturday, the state Highway Patrol said. Don Michael Morring, 51, was driving at 55 m.p.h. southbound on U.S. 17 about 3.7 miles north of Winfall when his truck hit a mailbox, went into aditch and struck a telephone poll at 6:20 p.m. Thursday, a highway patrol spokesper son said. Morring, a native of Edenton, worked 28 years with the UPS. He was also a deacon at Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church in Elizabeth City. His son, Don Morring Jr., said many people paid their respects at a family gathering Saturday. “Most people knew him by the name UPS alone,” Morring said. “He was more proud of what he had done for his children. Most people say he was known for his smile.” Morring’s wife, Dorothy Morring, is a well-respect ed teacher at Perquimans Central School. Funeral services wiU be conducted Thursday at noon at Corner Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Entombment will follow in Westlawn WAKE-UP CALL Mock wreck, memorial drive home danger of drunk driving at PCHS SUSAN R. HARRIS The blood looked aU too real as a symphony of sirens responded to a mock drunk driving accident at Perquimans County High School last Thursday after noon. One teen lie still on the ground next to one of the crashed cars, her body soon covered with a white sheet after an EMT found no vital signs. Another was pinned in under the steering wheel of a car, protected with a sheet and held as still as possible while firefighters used the jaws of life extrication tool to remove the roof of the car. Parents of the victims showed up at the scene, grieved and sickened at the sight that met them. They were comforted by Hertford Police Officer Tricia Morgan, who would arrest and handcuff the suspected drunk driver before the afternoon was over. Nearby, the entire stu dent body at PCHS watched as the emergency respon ders worked to save lives. It was obvious that some students did not appreciate that the scene in front of them could be real. But oth ers seemed to understand that the students involved could have been them or their friends. The mock accident was coordinated by PCHS senior Jessica Clark as a part of her senior project. It was a take-off on a national program called “Every 15 Minutes,” which tries to educate young peo- '’M EMTs, firefighters and law enforcement officers survey the scene at a mock drunk driving accident at Perquimans County High School last week. At left center, EMT Page Walker covers the student playing the deceased victim. Firefighters and EMTs lift a victim from under the steering wheel after removing the roof of the car with the jaws of life extrication tool. ' Hertford Police Officer Tricia Morgan comforts the mother of the dead victim in the mock drunk driving accident. pie about the dangers of drunk driving. Every 15 minutes, some one in the United States is killed in an impaired dri ving accident. Clark had been a part of the program in a Virginia Beach high school before moving to Perquimans County, and believed the program had such a posi tive impact, she chose to organize her own version of it here. The program challenges students to think about drinking, driving and per sonal safety, and their responsibility for making mature decisions when lives are involved. Thursday began at PCHS with the grim reaper removing one participating student from class every 15 minutes. The students were taken to a room where their faces were painted white, then taken back to the classroom. They did not speak or interact with other students the rest of the day. At the accident scene, those students stood in a line as a reminder of all that could be lost in a real accident. After the accident scene, the participating students spent the night at Hertford Pentecostal Church, where there were a series of work shops. They were taken through a realization of their own death, and were asked to write letters to continued on page 8 ~ 0 ill -r-rrr- in Ito h ‘'"'I !on Mausoleum, with military rites by the N.C. National Guard. A wake will be held at Corner Stone Missionary Baptist Church Wednesday from 7 — 8 p.m. Walson Funeral Service of Elizabeth City is in charge of arrangements. (Contact Montgomery at bmontgomery@coxnews.co m) Churches can help after disasters SUSAN R. HARRIS Faith communities can be instrumental in the immediate aftermath of local disasters. With that in mind, a smaU, but committed group of church leaders and the Perquimans County Emergency Management Coordinator are spearhead ing an effort to organize local church groups to act as a clearinghouse to match resources with needs in the event of another emer gency like Hurricane Isabel. Emergency Management Coordinator Harry Winslow said an interfaith organization to help coordi nate volunteer activities and make sure aU county residents had needed resources would have been a tremendous asset in the aftermath of last September’s hurricane. While he said he was cer tain local congregations did check on their neighbors and assist where they could last September, an orga nized group could have made an even greater impact. “I think this is some thing the county needs,” Winslow said. “It could havej been a big benefit for me if this had been in place (last September).” Winslow made his state ments at a meeting last week at Hertford United Methodist Church, where Winslow, Hertford United Methodist Church minister Larry Higgins, Julian Miller of Catholic Social Ministries and Saunders Continued on page 8 Meeting of the minds Superintendent Kenneth W. Wells and N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight discuss needs for the Perquimans County School System during his recent visit to Perquimans High School. Basnight visit ed Perquimans County Schools to speak with students in Chuck Whedbee's ELP class. Some of the topics of discussion included the economy, election 2004, drugs, gay rights. No Child Left Behind legislation, and celebrity politicians. Basnight encouraged students to remain drug free throughout their lives. "Take care of your mind and body today, and your mind and body will take care of your future," said Basnight. Holiday Weather THURSDAY High: 61 Low: 39 Mostly Sunny Friday High: 57 Low: 30 Sunny Saturday High: 57 Low: 41 Sunny
The Perquimans Weekly (Hertford, N.C.)
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March 10, 2004, edition 1
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