By Paul J. Condra
Since the April 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, in which 12 were killed by two heavily-armed students, public schools have been charged with the task of building safer environs. But while increasing school security has largely consisted of preventative technology such as metal detectors, video surveillance and armed security, one local school is choosing a simpler path toward a tranquil educationthe strength of its community.
With only 576 students, Malverne High School isn't necessarily a place where one is best known by a number.
Because this school is so small, we all know each other, said Lysett Pinder, a 16-year-old senior at the school.
It's the type of place where a student can wander into the central office and the staff will remember his or her name, as happened to Pinder last Thursday as the school was rounding out a week of Regents testing.
Pinder, along with two other students who were interviewedsenior Marques McFarlin, 17, and junior Kenny Miles, 16said pretty much the same thing about the intimacy of being a Malverne Mule.
We have the local fist fights now and then, but nothing serious ever really happens, Miles said.
All the students shared stories of fights they had seen, maybe started by an angry boyfriend, or the age-old tale of a student having his shoes ripped off by angry thugs. But for the most part they said they feel safe from threats at the high school, and they like it that way.
It's different if you go to the Hempsteads, said McFarlin, adding some of the larger high schools there are breeding grounds for more violent situations.
A common perception held by many is that schools with large minority populations are more prone to violence, often in relation to gangs. But at Malverne, where 61 percent of the students are black, none of the students interviewed said they recognized gang activity on campus.
Most violence, such as fights or threats, takes place after school, the students said, where kids from different high schools can mingle at gatherings like sports events. But those situations are easy to avoid.
McFarlin said he knows of students who have brought weapons to school, such as a gun or a pool ball in a sock.
We have a lot of wannabes, he said. Sometimes students will come to the school with a hard attitude, but they are soon softened up by the malleable Mules who all seem to know each other, he said.
Malverne has always been like a family environment, said Jim O'Beirne, the district supervisor of facilities and support services who oversees security at the high school. Since the fifth grade, people have known each other.
That intimacy is reflected in the school's single-digit violent incident reports. According to state records, there were seven assault and battery reports, four weapons possessions, two individual threats, and one bomb threat reported for the 1999-2000 school year. And according to Malverne police chief Glen Jacobsen, the cops have had only a few reasons to visit the high school for the year 2001: a couple fights, drug possession, trespassing, broken windows and doors or maybe just to be present at a sporting event.
I would say, comparably, Malverne High School is a safe place, Jacobsen said. If there are things going on, the school is handling it themselves and doing a good job of it.
And the administration has taken a number of precautions to ensure that safety: from the rigid, such as security guards at doors, locked entrances and identification badges, to the fluidstudent and community committees intended to focus on issues concerning the high school.
The school principal, James Brown, said he's very comfortable with the atmosphere at Malverne High School, and that security is always the first thing on people's mind, especially parents.
Keep in mind this is a very small school, he said while he was chatting informally with the school psychologist. But, he said, the small size is definitely a strength in Malverne.
One way students try to help themselves is through the PAL program, or Peer Advisory Leadership. It works when older students, such as the three interviewed for this story, vow to be drug and alcohol free. They then spend time with freshmen, giving advice and hearing out problems.
I think the [events in] the world have increased our thoughts of safety, O'Beirne said. The supervisor sees violence as an ill that can only be bested by the whole team. From the groundskeeper to the security guard, he said, we all have to be diligent.
