ILWACO – Students, parents, teachers, administrators, social service professionals – more than 65 in all – met last Thursday night for dinner followed by two hours of discussion about bettering the Peninsula’s educational environment.

In what many later agreed was an inspirational event in the life of our community, there was also broad agreement that more must be done to ensure all local children have consistent and confident access to schooling that is safe, mutually respectful and conducive to successful learning.

Ilwaco High School Principal Marc Simmons told the gathering that he noticed certain behaviors upon his arrival in Ocean Beach School District last fall that sparked an interest in helping move local schools toward healthier directions. Last week’s Open Space forum was the last of several informal meetings designed to explore the current situation and think about what to do about it.

Open Space is a process brought to the Peninsula by long-time Ark Restaurant owner Nanci Main, who moderated last week’s IHS discussion. This was formally organized around the topic “How can we, as a community, cooperate with our youth to create an empowering and safe environment for all?”

Concern about campus safety has been elevated by some fights and other incidents, such as a junior high student bringing homemade electric-shock devices to school. One parent worried about “kids putting kids in the hospital.” (In order to encourage free and open discussion in the Open Space setting, the Observer is not quoting community members by name in this story.) She said she wonders some days whether to send her kids to school at all.

Several spoke of a need for a consistent discipline policy throughout the district, noting that children with unaddressed behavior problems all eventually funnel into the Peninsula’s single high school. A parent said she has carefully examined the district’s disciplinary rules and feels they set out expectations without really establishing consequences.

Sheriff John Didion said that it is essential for there to be “swift, unpleasant consequences” when there are violations of basic rules at all grade levels. He said parents should make their wishes known by showing up at school board meetings and actively participating in their children’s education. “There is power in unity,” he said – schools in Long Beach, Ocean Park and Ilwaco must all work together, along with parents.

“We live in an area without a lot of good jobs,” another parent told members of his focus group. “Some kids see things at home and are mimicking their parents’ behavior.”

A dozen students were in attendance and spoke articulately of the need for more community-owned recreational facilities. An expanded skateboard park and a public pool were two of their strongest suggestions. They committed themselves to working to achieve their goals.

There was a lot of discussion about tobacco, alcohol and drug use and the need for parents and the schools to work in concert with law enforcement to foster healthier choices. One focus group said they will strive for zero tolerance of tobacco use by teens, which is highly addictive and damaging to young lungs.

Another focus group looked at the importance of strengthening the spiritual lives of students and calling on God’s help for them in the form of prayer. Other topics chosen for discussion and action by other focus groups included community apprenticeships, getting kids and adults more involved in outdoor activities, tapping into the skills and wisdom of the retired community, dealing with teen depression and thoughts of suicide, reinforcement of positive behaviors through awards programs in the each of the district’s buildings, and changing community norms so that alcohol and drug abuse are not so prevalent or acceptable.

Many of the groups committed to continuing work on these priorities. The Observer will soon publish individual reports prepared by each of the focus groups to help all community members discern ways in which we each can be of assistance.