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Walnut plans annual Purple Hands Assembly
Walnut Middle School's annual Purple Hands Assembly is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, Principal Rod Foley said.
The Purple Hands Assembly will begin at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 16, in the school's gym.
The assembly is open to the public, Foley said. During the rally, Walnut students take the Purple Hands pledge that says, "I will not use my hands or my words for hurting myself or others." The Purple Hands Program has been integrated into all three Grand Island Public Schools middle schools.
The featured speaker will be Daniel Mora from "Homeboy Goes to Harvard Productions." Mora will talk about violence prevention.
Mora is the youngest child of immigrant parents from Mexico, grew up in inner city housing projects, was placed in juvenile detention center more than six times, and discovered an outlet for his anger and frustrations through writing and music, according to the Web site
www.homeboygoestoharvard.com. He earned a bachelor's degree in ethnic studies from the University of California at Berkeley in 2009.
The school will also honor Walnut staff members Bob Briseno and Jerome Dubas, who received Staff Member of the Year and Teacher of the Year awards from the Grand Island Education Foundation in August.
Walnut Middle School was named as a 2003 National School of Character in recognition of its exemplary work to encourage the ethical, social, and academic development of its students through character education. The Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington, D.C., administers the program.
Walnut was also named a 2005 Operation Respect National Model School -- one of five from the United States and Canada. Operation Respect is a non-profit organization working to transform organizations focused on children and youth into more compassionate, safe, and respectful environments.
For more information, contact: Rod Foley, Principal, Walnut Middle School, 1600 N. Custer, Grand Island, NE; (308) 385-5990;
rfoley@gips.org
It is the policy of the Grand Island Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities or employment policies as required by Title VI, Title IX, &Section 504.EOE/AA.