His Students Were Getting Killed. So, Principal Cook Took Action And Made A Safe Space For Them

Apr 24, 2019 by apost team

According to ABC7 News, when Akbar Cook took over as principal at Newark's West Side High School he knew serious changes were in order.

He saw that things like drugs and gang violence were serious challenges for many of the students attending his school.

Two students were killed following Cook's first summer as principal and he knew it was time to act. Cook solicited the help of the Alumni Association for West Side High School.

He asked them to come up with ways to provide students attending the school with productive ways to spend their time and lead them away from the streets. They were able to launch the Lights On program with the help of fundraisers and volunteers. The project began in the summer of 2016.

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By all accounts, the program has been a smashing success. From six to eleven each Friday night the school is opened to hundreds of West Side High School students. The kids are allowed to use the basketball courts, play video games, practice cosmetology and sewing, and enjoy a good meal. 

The students who frequent Lights On are grateful for a place to go where they are safe from the dangers their environments present to them. Lights On survives on the donations it receives from the community and opens its doors to students three days a week in summer months.

One student says he is open to anything that will keep him off the streets. The student says he has no interest in selling drugs or other street activities. Another student says it is dangerous on the streets near his home.

He says there are gunshots all the time and a person could be killed simply walking home from school or work. While some kids enjoy the safety provided to them by Lights On, others say it is nice to have a place where they can enjoy the company of other students. One student explains she enjoys the friendly faces she sees each time she participates in Lights On.

Principal Cook says providing students with a safe place to gather and socialize is paying dividends to the entire community. He cites the fact that West Side High School has not lost one student to violence this year as evidence of the program's effectiveness.

What do you think about the efforts of Principal Cook? Can you think of other solutions that would help students who live in dangerous environments? Pass this article to your friends. It will spark some great conversation between you.