Pubdate: Sat,  7 Feb 2004
Source: Pueblo Chieftain (CO)
Copyright: 2004 The Star-Journal Publishing Corp.
Contact:  http://www.chieftain.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1613
Author: Erin Smith

DON'T ALLOW BULLYING, SARGENT STUDENTS TOLD

Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar Tuesday admonished students here to
stand up for others being bullied by fellow students and to eschew drugs and
alcohol.

Drugs and alcohol are "an issue we face everywhere we go," Salazar
told about 200 people, most of them sixth-through 12th-graders
crowding the Sargent High School auditorium.

Salazar said most people think drugs are a big city issue, but they
affect rural areas as well.

"Your minds and bodies are the temple of your future. . . Drugs and
alcohol can devastate your lives," Salazar said.

Salazar began his 40-minute presentation by congratulating Sargent for
having a national title for the largest portion of the student body
involved in Future Business Leaders of America, and head girl Kayla
Cochran, winner of a Boettcher scholarship.

Salazar told the students about his official duties, overseeing 350
lawyers and criminal investigators in his office. He said it is his
job to prosecute thousands of criminal cases, protect the land and the
water, look out for senior citizens and work with young people.

He talked about the Columbine massacre - the "bloodiest school
shooting in American history"- and said it is his goal to make schools
as safe as possible.

Salazar said that incidents like Columbine often result from failure
to communicate and get along with one another. One of the first steps
toward safety is to create a situation where no child feels unsafe.

In Colorado, 10,000 students stay home at least one day out of 30
because they don't feel safe in school for one reason or another,
Salazar said.

He called four students - senior Luke Hoffman, sophomore Jackie Demko,
eighth-grader Uvaldo Aguilara and sixth-grader Josh Jones - on stage
to help him come up with answers on communicating with parents and
others.

How many of the students thought their parents really cared about
them? Most of the students raised their hands.

Several of the students on the stage said if they had problems with
others, they would try to work out the problems themselves and not
tell their parents.

"Don't forget your roots," Salazar said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin