Painful lessons

Christopher Johnson cannot escape the specter of youth violence.

It's always with him, residing in the form of a single bullet that is still lodged in his body.

Recovered from the Dec. 2003 shooting, the 10th-grader transferred to Germantown High School earlier this year from another public high school (he's afraid to give the name because his shooter remains at-large). But his hope for peace was shattered late last month when four fellow students attempted to assault him in a stairwell at his new school, two days after another Germantown High student was shot in the back during an after-school melee. Johnson escaped his attackers, who apparently thought he was from a rival neighborhood.

While that story may shock Chestnut Hill parents who send their children to area independent schools, it's an unfortunate reality that is lived daily by those attending Germantown High. For Johnson and his classmates, there is little shock-value left in school-related violence.

Facing a panel of political, police and school officials at a community meeting last week, Johnson petitioned for tightened security, articulating with maturity far beyond his years.

The following words came from the mouth of a boy not old enough to drive: "I've been shot. I've been in the hospital. I don't want to see anyone else go through that."

He continued: "These 'gangsters' and drug dealers are feeding us dirt and we're taking it in like it's knowledge," he said. "And sometimes it's too late to fix it."

Seemingly against all odds, kids like Johnson are succeeding. But it is disheartening that such success is exceptional. Johnson is, as District Attorney Lynne Abraham said last week, "a flower growing out of a rock." The city's children need more fertile ground to grow.

The story of Germantown High, as told by its students and teachers last week, was far from vibrant. At times, students face their day with a 40-minute wait at metal-detectors. Some are verbally abusive to teachers and classmates, even scoffing at disciplinary decisions. Security is inconsistent around the school's many exits, they said.

While the majority of Germantown High students are good kids who want to learn, there are those who, like Johnson said, are eating dirt. Using the names of decades-old neighborhood gangs, a minority of students threaten the school's civility.

While some may be expelled to alternative schools, banishing those kids won't solve a problem that is as much a burden for the community as it is for students.

"We can't kick kids out of the neighborhood," said School District chief Paul Vallas. "At the end of the day, we're all in this together. Everyone's quality of life is affected. What has more of an adverse impact on quality of life than gunplay in the streets with students getting caught in the crossfire?"

Borrowing a phrase from a hot election issue, Vallas called on parents and community members to be "homeland defenders."

Lou Conrad, a biology teacher, showed the audience the test papers of a student involved in the recent shooting. The A-range grades are hard evidence that those causing trouble, while misguided, are not lost.

Last week's meeting and next week's march are calls to action. Instead of hoping for continued momentum, concerned citizens should ensure it by joining an outreach effort that will ultimately benefit everyone.

Michael J. Mishak