Monday, April 18, 2011
Students Take The Lead To “Cap Off Abuse”
April is Child Abuse Prevention month. In the United States a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. According to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, each hour of the day an allegation of child abuse is reported.
This horrible cycle will continue according to research that claims that about 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children. Education and awareness about this epidemic can be a factor in its prevention and ending this horrible cycle.
Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) members of Loretto High School, Summertown High School, and Lawrence County High School took the lead in educating students by planning a county wide community service project to benefit A Kid’s Place.
A Kid’s Place is a Lawrence County organization that provides medical evaluations and crisis counseling to children and caregivers who are struggling with the trauma of child sexual abuse.
The local high schools included child abuse statistics each morning in the daily announcements in an effort to education students about the epidemic of abuse.
The students and faculty were then invited to be a part of the solution by participating in a friendly competition between the three high schools. This competition was entitled “Cap Off Abuse”.
Students were encouraged to pay one dollar to buy a ribbon and wear a cap on Friday, April 15, 2011. The winning school was decided by the percentage of participation of student enrollment and the dollars collected.
The students and faculty took the challenge and collected a total of $1294. A representative of A Kid’s Place was present at each of the high schools to accept the donation and to congratulate the students.
The break down for the three high schools’ enrollment and participation dollars were:
#1 Loretto High School - $626.00 dollars from a 550 student enrollment, this is approximately 114% participation.
#2 Summertown High School - $375.00 for a 561 student enrollment, an approximate 67% participation
#3 Lawrence County High School -$ 293.00 for an 1149 student enrollment, an approximate 25% student participation.
Loretto High School convincingly claimed the bragging rights and a recognition trophy to be displayed at LHS until next April when this friendly competition will be repeated.
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