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Innocence Lost

Tuesday, February 29, 2000 is a day that nobody is likely to forget. The unimaginable happened in Mount Morris Township, Michigan. Six year old Kayla Rolland was shot and killed by another six year old at Buell Elementary School after an apparent quarrel on the playground the previous day. The boy pulled a .32 caliber gun from his pants and fired, hitting Kayla in the neck. She died 30 minutes later.

As the parent of a 5 year old, this is especially disturbing. To think that you send your child to school each day and expect them to be safe, and that something like this could happen, it's horrifying. What kind of society are we living in when you can't even feel good about sending your kids to elementary school? When are we going to realize that our kids are being exposed to too much violence in the media and society as a whole? It's time for all the adults to begin to take responsibility for the children. They depend on us to teach them right from wrong, to lead by example, and to give them the exposure to TV and movies that will promote cognitive growth.

Other Recent School Shootings

December 6, 1999 -- A 13 year old boy at Fort Gibson Middle School in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, fired 15 rounds wounding four classmates. When he was asked why, he said "I don't know."
November 19, 1999 -- A 13 year old girl in Deming, New Mexico, was shot in the head by a 12 year old boy and died the next day. The boy will stand trial in May.
May 20, 1999 -- A 15 year old boy at Heritage High School in Conyers, Georgia, opened fire with a .357-caliber handgun and a rifle. Six students were wounded, luckily noone was killed. He was charged with aggravated assault and other felonies.
April 20, 1999 -- Probably the most memorable shooting was at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where 2 teenagers killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 23 before killing themselves.
May 21, 1998 -- A teenage boy opened fire at a high school in Springfield, Oregon, after killing his parents, killing 2 teenagers and injuring more than 20 people. Kip Kinkel, 17, was sentenced to nearly 112 years in prison.
May 19, 1998 -- Three days before his graduation, an 18 year old honor student opened fire at a high school in Fayetteville, Tennessee, killing a classmate who was dating his ex-girlfriend. Jacob Davis was sentenced to life in prison.
April 24, 1998 -- A science teacher was killed in front of students at an 8th grade dance in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. Andrew Wurst, 15, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and other charges and is serving 30 to 60 years in prison.
March 24, 1998 -- Four girls and a teacher were killed and 10 people wounded at a middle school in Jonesboro, Arkansas, when two boys, 11 and 13, fired from nearby woods. Both boys were convicted of murder and can be held up to age 21.
December 1, 1997 -- Three students were killed and five others wounded at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. A 14-year-old student pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murder and is serving life in prison.
October 1, 1997 -- A 16 year old boy in Pearl, Mississippi, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his mother, then going to his high school and shooting nine students, two fatally. The alleged mastermind pleaded guilty earlier this year to a reduced charge of conspiracy and was sentenced to six months a military-style prison program.
February 19, 1997 -- A 16 year old boy took a shotgun and a bag of shells to school in Bethel, Alaska, and killed the principal and a student and injured two others. Evan Ramsey is serving a 210-year sentence.

Little Angels

When God calls little children
to dwell with Him above,
We mortals sometimes question
the wisdom of His love.
For no heartache compares with
the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world,
seem wonderful and mild
Perhaps God tires of calling
the aged to his fold,
So He picks a little rosebud,
before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them,
and so He takes but few
To make the land of Heaven
more beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult still
somehow we must try,
The saddest word mankind knows
will always be "Goodbye."
So when a little child departs,
we who are left behind
Must realize God loves children,
Angels are hard to find.

Author Unknown

"Not in Vain"

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life from aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

~Emily Dickinson~

Please visit these child protection sites:

National Foundation for Abused and Neglected Children

D.A.R.E.to keep kids off drugs

This site is an Official Member of
The Lost Child Emergency Broadcast System
Member 0905

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"Tears In Heaven"
Eric Clapton