Sunday, December 23, 2012
Here's what had you reading and talking this week
Westlake, like the rest of America, dealt with the aftermath of the horrific school shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Many students and staff wore green and white -- Sandy Hook Elementary's colors -- on Monday to show their support for Newtown. Holly Lane staff grieved for their colleagues in Connecticut, and drew strength from students, parents and each other. Westlake Patch joined Patch sites nationwide by participating in an Web Moment of Silence Friday morning to honor the victims. Safety and weapons were popular topics after Sandy Hook. Westlake City Schools leaders talked about school safety and security in the wake of Newtown's tragedy. Business director Dave Kocevar explained security at existing schools, …
Friday, December 21, 2012
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said. Do you think this would work in Westlake?
In an amazing Friday morning press conference, the National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the …
Patch and parent company AOL will be part of the Web Moment of Silence at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Westlake Patch will join Patch sites across the nation in a Web "Moment of Silence" to honor those killed in last week's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Patch sites will begin observing the moment of silence at 9:30 a.m. EST and will "blackout" for five minutes. Other sites observing the Web Moment of Silence are AOL (Patch's parent company), Adobe, Gilt, Foursquare, Duke University, Jawbone, and Salesforce. According to TechCrunch, the moment of silence will extend to social media, with about 100,000 people pledging not to post on Facebook or Twitter during that time. People who have pledged to do so include Britney Spears, Suze Orman, Tyler Florence, Goldie Hawn, and Joe Montana. If you want your website to …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Joseph Resovsky of Columbia Station is facing charges after posting approval for what Adam Lanza did. What do you think?
Young people like to push the envelope, challenge the status quo. One may have pushed a little too far. Joseph Resovsky, 20, of Columbia Station, is facing criminal charges after posting support for Adam Lanza, the shooter in last Friday's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The post went up last Saturday, just a day after the shootings. It read, "I'm so happy somebody shot up all those little (expletive). Viva la School Shootings!!!!" According to the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Resovsky told police he was tired of all the Facebook posts about the tragedy, and wanted to see if he could get comments. Medina police said it was the equivalent of yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater, telling WKYC that they were "…
New high school, middle school designed for better safety
Safety and security has changed how schools are designed and built. And the new Westlake High School and Lee Burneson Middle School are no exception. Dave Puffer, director of construction projects for Westlake City Schools, said details large and small are designed to keep students and staff safe. It starts at the entrances. "We limited the entrances," Puffer said. Burneson has a front entrance, where buses will drop off and pick up students, and a rear entrance for parents to do the same. Once classes start, the front entrances at each school will be the only ones open. Each front entrance comes into a vestibule, and, after classes start, the only way to get in past that will be to be buzzed in by the front office. Most other doors are …
The debate has heated up in the days after the school shooting in Connecticut.
What do you think about the gun laws in Ohio—are they not strict enough or do restrictions need to be scaled back? It’s a question that has recently taken on more weight in the days following a deadly school shooting in Connecticut. Ohio’s gun laws have been becoming more lenient in recent years, the Columbus Dispatch reports, pointing to a variety of new laws. That includes one passed in 2011 to allow concealed-carry weapons in bars. And it’s likely that the restrictions will loosen even further soon. Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign House Bill 495, NewsNet5.com reports. According to the most recent bill analysis, the bill would loosen reciprocity agreements with other states regarding concealed-carry permits, eliminate a …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
District always looking to improve, director Dave Kocevar says in wake of Sandy Hook shootings.
School security's not what it used to be, said Westlake City Schools business director Dave Kocevar, whose job also involves managing the security for the district's seven schools. And that was true even before Friday's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Kocevar, who came to Westlake this past summer after 19 years at Wooster City Schools, said much has changed when it comes to school security since the Columbine shootings of 1999. Schools take security much more seriously, Kocevar said. Consequences are much more serious for things like threats or bringing a weapon to school, even if nothing happens. Communication is essential, he added. Not just from schools to students, but from schools to parents, parents to …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Semi-automatic rifles removed from stores and online shopping sites. Do you think this is the right decision?
In the wake of Friday's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., two major retailers are responding. Dick's Sporting Goods has removed all guns from its store nearest to Newtown, and has stopped sales of some semi-automatic rifles, described by Dick's as "modern sporting rifles" in its stores nationwide, including the Dick's at Crocker Park. “We are extremely saddened by the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Newtown, CT, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families, and to the entire community,” a statement on the Dick’s website said. Walmart has removed the Bushmaster Patrolman's Carbine M4A3 Rifle from its online store. What do you think? Should these guns be off the shelves for good? Or is …
Holly Lane Elementary School teachers grieve for their fallen peers in Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings
Grief and gratitude were the emotions of the day for teachers and staff at Holly Lane Elementary School on Monday. Many wore green and white to show support for the people of Newtown, Conn., after Friday's mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Did you wear green and white for Newtown? Share your photos here. Click the "Upload photos and videos" button. They hurt for their colleagues in Newtown, and the six teachers and school staff who died. "I looked at (their pictures) and they looked like us," said teacher Kristi Fortuna, fighting tears. "Like them, we do everything we can to make our students' days amazing. And they sacrificed their lives for their students." For principal Mimi Verdone, comfort came as the students arrived. "I …
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting should remind parents to ensure that their child's school has an updated phone number and email address for them.
In light of Friday’s horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., Westlake City Schools wants parents to make sure that that the district and their child’s school has a valid email address and phone number for them. Westlake City Schools implemented Blackboard Connect, a system that sends phone calls or emails to parents for everything from school emergencies to reminders on school events. Blackboard Connect allows parents to update their information just by logging in. Blackboard Connect does not automatically update information in the student information system. Parents need to contact their child's school with any updates to phone number or address. Here is the contact information for each school:
slick
10:16 am on Saturday, December 22, 2012
Also lets remove armed guards from all place state and federal then! How about disarming the police also so they don't give children wrong idea! Why do police have guns? Also the USA has same principle hence military weapons and bombs! Like I said its sad but its true not necessary make it right but that's way the world has become! more ›