Stabbings in PA High School

10 years ago

It breaks my heart to hear about the stabbings in Murrysville High School. This is the school all my kids went to. When they went there, it was the best school. A certain innocence existed then. My son (now 47) often talks about his childhood and how lucky he was to have had the childhood he had and how great his school was. So sad. My heart goes out to all the families. Times have definitely changed!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

tami_ohio
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have a friend who lives in Murrysville. I am waiting a little bit before I text her to make sure her grandkids are safe. I don't want to do it too early, in case they are involved, but I am very anxious. They are all in my prayers.

Tami
chisue
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank goodness he didn't have a gun. There would have been a dozen fatalities.
Related Discussions
a fatal shooting at my son's school
Q
Comments (18)
My two cents: Violence happens in all large schools and all kids, whatever their mental health or developmental issues, have the potential for violent or negligent acts that can result in death or damage to themselves or other students. This is not a "urban" vs "suburban" issue and its not even a "good kids" vs "bad kids" issue. Nice kids injure *themselves* all the time, nice kids despair about their b+ grade and kill themselves, nice kids get drunk and drive to endanger. On an even sadder note nice, suburban kids routinely bully and injur other kids, especially outsider, non-white, non-normal, or just plain female kids and its never reported to teachers or parents. How many nice suburban highschool girls have been assaulted or raped by nice, suburban, jocks?And how many of those rapes ever get reported? Violence and secrecy about violence is nothing new, even in nice suburban schools. This case made me think about something else, though. To my mind violent acts by a determined psychotic individual, and violence in general in large groups of kids, can't be entirely done away with. But any particular instance of violence by a teenager who is not determined could probably have been deterred or delayed until the sparking incident blew over. What deterrence requires is some serious structural attention to the setting of violence in advance. In this case my feeling is that if there is no history of violence in the school and no history of violence between other kids and this new kid the issue is one of induction. I don't think that schools have the time, money, or ability to truly induct and educate all their students into expected civil behavior. I noticed instantly that the first thing that was reported is that the school doesn't have metal detectors. I don't think metal detectors deter anything anyway but I think a more important gate keeping function is for schools to realize that new students are very vulnerable and their vulnerability makes them potentially dangerous. A school is a "total institution" like a prison. What that means is that the institution surrounds and controls the individual, setting the terms for interaction (For good or ill) and that for the individual the institution presents an overwhelming monolithic force. Prisons, for good reasons, have systems for inducting new prisoners into the prison: letting them ease slowly into the new rules, special rooms, floors, work assignments etc... I"m not saying any of that works in prisons, but at least they have a recognizable model in which newcomers aren't just left to flounder. In my experience of large schools they totally lack a serious community building, integrative model for new students and families. They don't work hard enough to mainstream new kids: to make sure they feel secure, to civilize them (if necessary) to help them understand the norms of their new environment and they don't work hard enough to make the old students responsible for the welfare of the new students. If the older students/regular students had been part of an official welcoming committee the whole snitching on the new student thing wouldn't be an issue--they would have been working with the new student as well as with the faculty as a kind of team. abfab
...See More
okay anyone in nj or pa great trash to treasure flea market!
Q
Comments (14)
The Perkiomenville Auction is still going -- every Monday year round. There are still dealers and the auction part. There are far fewer dealers than there used to be -- I would recommend if you are going to have a far drive to go on a holiday weekend like memorial day or labor day as that is the only time the auction is really hopping anymore. (Though the first few nice Mondays of spring are also bound to be crowded.) The deaers also don't seem to start as early as they used to -- used to be most dealers were there and set up by dawn. Now if I get there at 7 or 8 it is still empty -- people are rolling in to set up when I am leaving at 9. Again, though, the holiday weekends are an exception -- best to be early those days. I did figure out the auction tables thing - yes, you can pick through things left behind. Technically, though, I think you are supposed to offer money to the woman collecting money for the auctioneer for what you take -- I have seen her yell at people. But there are always a ton of people taking stuff and not being very subtle about it (they bring boxes and tote bags and load up) and no one seems to pay. I'm pretty sure that what gets left behind gets tossed unless the consignor comes back to get it (and most of it is like mildewy clothes and moldy books, etc. that you know no one is coming back for) so I guess it is better that people take it than it goes in a landfill somewhere. I have also bid on things at the auction - it is exactly like I described above - a crowd of people standing around an unorganized pile of stuff, while the auctioneer holds something up. Bidding usually starts at a dollar. The winning bidder hands over cash and puts his new item in a pile -- by the end of the auction, there are piles of people's wins all over the place. I have seen some really nice furniture go for very cheap (most of the other bidders are dealers looking to buy low for a profit, so it is not hard to outbid them if it is something you want for yourself.) But I have also seen them auction TOTAL junk -- furniture that is moldy or falling apart, broken glass patio tables, etc. In fact one day they auctioned a plastic covered cat litterbox that still had litter and cat poop in it. No, I am not kidding and no it did not sell LOL! I think they literally load the truck up at a house cleanout and bring it directly to the auction as is -- thus the litterbox full of poop etc. At one point, I was waiting around to bid on one oak schoolhouse chair that matched my kitchen chairs. The lot before it was 4 kind of ugly folding chairs from the 40s. When those didn't get bids, the auctioneer added my oak chair to the lot. I was the only bidder and got all 5 chairs for a dollar. I had no use for the 4 folding chairs and when a guy next to me saw that I was planning to leave them behind, he asked if he could have them and I gave them to him. I ended up with another chair for my kitchen table for the sum total of $1 and he ended up with 4 free folding chairs. So anyhow, that might be more than you wanted to know but there you go.
...See More
High School Sport as a PE class
Q
Comments (17)
My granddaughter is a Freshman (Hillsborough County Forida public high school), her guidance counselor suggested she take her PE requirement next summer online if she does not play a sport. I had no idea what taking a PE a course online meant so I just went looking.... in case you want to see how it's done somewhere else.. Secondary Physical Education Physical Education is an essential component of the total educational experience for all high school age students. Students are required to take the Health Opportunities through Physical Education (HOPE) course as the physical education requirement for graduation. The grades 9-12 physical education experience is designed to assist students in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to make healthy livelong decisions and to provide them an opportunity to further develop movement potentials through the selection of content specific elective courses. Grades 9-12 Physical Education Curricula and assessments are standards based and course specific. Content knowledge assessments are administered to students enrolled all physical education Physical fitness assessments are administered to students enrolled in HOPE course. Formative motor skill and content assessments may also be administered throughout the school year as necessary for the purpose of curriculum focus, lesson plan development and to assist students in developing higher levels of movement competence. Content is taught through one, two and/or three week instructional units for each content topic. The duration of instructional units varies for each content topic based on individual student needs. The HOPE course is a one (1) year physical education course which includes an integration of health education. Senate House Bill 2092 establishes criteria for exemption of the HOPE course, 1.0 credit requirement through the following waiver process: Participation in two seasons of an interscholastic sport (which includes cheerleading) at the junior varsity and varsity levels and a passing grade of “C” on the FLDOE’s Personal Fitness Exam (PFE). Completion of two years in a Reserve Officer Training Corps (R.O.T.C.) class. The PFE is administered on a single day during the November and May of each school year. Eligible 10th, 11th and 12th grade students will be informed prior to testing dates by the school administration of this opportunity. Schools will verify eligible students by confirming that they have completed two full seasons of varsity or junior varsity sports. A Test Administrator’s Manual contains the following specific course resources for students to access as study materials: Rainey, D.L. & Murry, T.D. (1997). Foundations of Personal Fitness. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing. Stokes, R. & Schultz, S.L. (1998). Personal Fitness for You. Winston-Salem, NC: Hunter Textbooks. William, C., Harageones, E., Johnson, D., & Smith, C. (2000). Personal Fitness
...See More
have you re-read your school annuals?
Q
Comments (37)
I don't have any of mine - my mother would decide that I no longer needed such things and throw them out without asking or telling me (she started that with my dolls when I was about 9). But, honestly, I probably wouldn't have kept them myself for long. Let's just say that high school was not my favorite life period - and I remember very few of the people that were in my classes (that has been the case for decades). My graduating class had a 50th year reunion last month and I had no interest in going - haven't been to any of them. I would like to still have the ones from my elementary and Jr. high schools, though. Conversely, I encouraged my brother to attend his reunion last year. He was going through a rough patch emotionally, and I knew that his HS experience was very different from mine; he has lasting friendships from that time, and seeing people who would remember him and be glad to be with him would be good for him. However, I have a book (photos of the local area) that was given to me by my co-workers when I left CA for OH, signed by most of the staff with lovely messages. That I do treasure, because it brings back memories of some of the best years of my life.
...See More
rob333 (zone 7b)
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm sorry to hear about this.

There's never been an age of innocence. There were lynchings that don't happen any more. Stabbings and shooting incidents happened too. Even in the 1950s. There has always been violence and neither this generation nor the one before is less innocent than previous generations.

____________________
ONLY secondary education attacks (not post secondary or elementary, or just in the general public--Meaning--there's more!)
September 3, 1952
Lawrenceville, Illinois, United States
Charles Petrach, 25
1 dead
After 25-year-old Georgine Lyon ended her engagement with Charles Petrach, Petrach shot and killed Lyon in a classroom at Lawrenceville High School where she worked as a librarian.

October 2, 1953
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Bernice Turner, 14
1 dead
14-year-old Patrick Colletta is shot to death by 14-year-old Bernice Turner in a classroom of Kelly High School in Chicago. It was reported that after Turner refused to date Colletta he handed her the gun and dared her to pull the trigger, telling her that the gun was “only a toy.” A coroner’s jury later ruled that the shooting was an accident.

December 8, 1953
Aledo, Illinois, United States
James Gipson, 17
1 dead
26-year-old track coach George Marich was stabbed to death by 17-year-old student James Gipson in a hallway of Aledo High School. The stabbing occurred after Marich had removed Gipson and two other seniors from a study hall for creating a disturbance.

March 31, 1954
Newton, Massachusetts, United States
1 dead
John Frankenberger, 14, was accidentally shot to death in a classroom at Day Junior High School when a pistol being held by a classmate discharged.

April 17, 1956
New York City, New York, United States
Randolph Lawrence, 16
1 dead
18-year-old Henry Smith, a student at a Bronx vocational high school, is stabbed to death by 16-year-old Randolph Lawrence, a fellow student. The stabbing was reportedly sparked over a dispute about a basketball game.

May 4, 1956
Prince George's County, Maryland, United States
Billy Ray Prevatte, 15
1 dead
2 injured
15-year-old student Billy Prevatte fatally shot one teacher and injured two others at Maryland Park Junior High School in Prince George's County after he had been reprimanded from the school.

October 20, 1956
New York City, New York, United States
1 injured
A Booker T. Washington Junior High School student was wounded in the forearm by another student armed with a home-made weapon.

October 2, 1957
New York City, New York, United States
..., 15
1 injured
A 16-year-old student was shot in the leg by a 15-year-old classmate at a city high school.
May 1, 1958
Massapequa, New York, United States
Bruce Zator, 15
1 dead
15-year-old freshman Timothy Wall is shot to death by fellow classmate Bruce Zator in a washroom of Massapequa High School.

March 16, 1959
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Stan Williamson, 19
1 dead
5 injured
19-year-old Stan Williamson opened fire with a .22 calibre rifle inside a crowded corridor of Ross Sheppard High School, killing 16-year-old Howard Gates and wounding five teenage girls. The shooting ended when three 18-year-old students held the gunman down until he could be arrested by police.
grandmamary_ga
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A knife is bad enough. I guess the innocence days are over for students of all ages. No wonder there is so much home schooling. I would think about doing that if I had young children. My grandchildren are mostly grown or in a private school. This just breaks my heart for the children and their parents and school personnel.
Mary
marie_ndcal
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Also a stabbing with scissors in Toronto Canada not in a school, shopping center I think. Yes it is sad these take place where ever in the world. And it is also sad that the media seems to make them feel like heroes.
Georgysmom
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Rob, yes, I know, there never was an age of innocence and bad things have always happened but you will just have to believe me when I tell you that there was a certain innocence when we moved to Murrysville. I remember bringing my kids to school to register them. The school was just a six classroom building. One for each grade. I brought the kids in the office with me which seemed to be a natural thing to do. The office smelled like shoe polish and there was a dilapidated sofa with some adults sitting on it across from the desk. I was asked to have the kids, a first grader, third grader and fifth grader, wait out side. When I returned to the office, the secretary explained to me that it was also the teacher's lounge and they didn't want the children to see the teachers smoking. LOL We had just moved from New York which was a lot more Metropolitan so I found this amusing. A few months later I was invited to a card party and fashion show which was held in the school gymnasium. As it turned out, the fashion show was all fashions that moms had sewn themselves including an entire bridal party. Going through my head at the time was the song If They Could See Me Now those old friends of mine! I loved every minute of it. My son was talking this morning how there was not even any bullying back then. At least not bullying like we know it today. He has, over the years talked about his experience with friends who went to high school at the same time he did and their experience was totally different. There truly was a different atmosphere in Murrysville at the time. I always thought what a great place to raise a family.
rob333 (zone 7b)
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Bad things happen to good people. It doesn't mean that it was innocent or isn't any longer. It's just different. There is an electri excitement in schools these days. I love to see the kids interacting with each other, and are so much more informed than when I was a kid. They have the information we so wanted everyone to have. They are empowered with the things to help them succeed where we've failed.

I was watching a Shoah foundation video the other day and it really struck me that the lady kept saying, I don't remember what it was like when the war broke out. We just didn't know about that. Was it better that way? Maybe. But kids today are so plugged in, tuned in, and turned on like we wished to be. They have so many tools and use them to their advantage. It can be a good thing.

I'm not as young as you might think. I don't remember it being anything other than turbulent. I lived in California, so, as progressive as the US gets. It was crazy there too. Sure we played outside until the sun went down. But should we have? Probably not. Different. It really bothers me to hear how the difference is somehow bad. We didn't have it so awfully great. Being the wrong gender, race, sexual preference was even (much, much!) harder then.

Different.
SunnyDJ
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This is very sad day for our area....This is the type of thing you see on the news in distant cities/schools, not in our schools but today it happened....
Please keep these young people, including the student with the knife, in your prayers as well as their families......
chisue
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
People no longer *know* one another. As stifling as a small town may have seemed, it was a *community*. (Not all roses and plenty of thorns, but they were 'our' roses and thorns.)

I grew up in a real neighborhood, not just a few blocks called Something Village. We had neighbors we cared about, and who cared about us. "I'll tell your MOTHER," meant something!

I see people walking around completely absorbed in the gadgets in their hands, failing to see -- much less exhibit empathy -- for the real, live individuals around them. We've discussed a lesser feeling of neighborliness here before. When individuals no longer feel part of a society, there is a lack of accountability as well as fear and anger.
Sally Brownlee
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
My young assistant softball coach told me last night she did her student teaching there just 2 short years ago.
Once names are released (maybe), she will probably recognize some of the people involved....

Stabbings in PA High School

Comments (10)

tami_ohio

chisue

Related Discussions

rob333 (zone 7b)

grandmamary_ga

marie_ndcal

Georgysmom
Original Author

rob333 (zone 7b)

SunnyDJ

chisue

Sally Brownlee

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Stabbings in PA High School

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

GeorgysmomOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Georgysmom
Original Author