GULF SHORES, Ala. — Gulf Shores Middle School journalism students have submitted this week's GSMS News.

Stop the violence

Everywhere we look, violence is all around us.

There are wars, fights, violence on movies and television, and in some cases, maybe even violence in our homes.

Even though there are many types of violence, it is always a dangerous thing that shouldn't be played around with, especially at school.

School violence is a very common type of violence.

School violence is referring to violence and crime within educational institutions. It includes hitting, slapping, punching, shoving, and in some rare, very dangerous cases, it may include weapons.

If you are ever aware of school violence, or even threats about school violence, going on in your educational environment, you should contact and notify a trustworthy adult immediately.

School violence should never be taken lightly because it is dangerous and can even take a life.

On April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School shooting occurred in Littleton, Colo.

On this tragic day, two students decided to take out their revenge on their high school peers and teachers.

Fifteen people died, including the two shooters, 12 additional students and one teacher. Another 24 people were injured.

Since this day, students, teachers, school resource officers, and school staff have been trying to prevent violence at schools all around the country.

Preventing school violence is actually pretty simple. There are many ways to keep students and teachers from getting injured or maybe even killed.

A few of these ways are if you see violence going on inside of your school, it’s very likely that a teacher or staff member will quickly intervene, but if they don’t, don’t get involved in anything too serious or you may get hurt.

Instead, walk away and find an adult close by and tell them about what is going on.

Although the easiest way to prevent school wide violence is by not bullying your classmates, some people still do feel that they are superior and still do this. Others do it, because it makes them fill bigger or makes them feel more popular at another person’s expense.

School violence is not something to be taken as something funny when in all reality can have a major effect on many lives. We should all be concerned about and try to stop it in our school.

 By: Julie Shattuck and Olivia Helms 7th

The journalism staff: Who we are

This school year has been one of the best years ever for journalism. Journalism is the elective class that creates the school newsletter.

In this article I am going to say something about all my journalism buddies.

I absolutely love Harlie. She has tons of nicknames from Poppy to Motor to Piggy. She’s an awesome friend. She’s there to squeeze my hand to death every Thursday when Mr. Reetz critiques our stories. She’s a really good writer and I hope she joins journalism again next year!

She is the person who lays on the floor with me and looks up at Mr.Reetz’s ceiling tiles and counts them. She is super funny and sweet. I’m really glad I met her!

She is referred to as the little Sydney even though were both little. She was one of my first new journalism friends this year and I’m glad I met her!

She is really good at basketball, soccer and photography. She is really funny and looks at Katie and I funny. She’s really hyper and you never see her super unhappy. She’s also an awesome photographer.

Her nickname for me is Saphilia because of a story we decided to write about fairies. She's an awesome writer. If we had ever decided to finish writing the story, :The Three S’s Saved the World” would have been an amazing success.

He’s an awesome person and really defines the saying old soul in a young body. He plans on going to Harvard to become a lawyer.

She;s an extremely good writer and I’m sure she’ll go really far in that field. She’s the person I can relate to when it comes to Twilight because we share the same views. She is an awesome friend.

He’s really good about giving hints on some life choices that could make life easier and more rewarding. He is an amazing teacher and I will always remember him!

By: Sydney Taylor; 8th

It’s hard saying goodbye

At the end of this school year, GSMS will be saying goodbye to one if its teachers that has been here since the school’s beginning.

Mrs. Carole Myers, seventh grade English teacher, is retiring after 30 years of teaching.

She taught 20 years here at GSMS and another 10 at other schools.

Ms. Myers has seen the Gulf Shores schools change from a single school with kindergarten through eighth grade to the three separate schools that are here today.

The Myers have been married for 43 years. Mrs. Myers also has four grandchildren. Mr. Myers is semi-retired and works as the assistant pastor at St. Andrew by the Sea church. He worked as pastor at the First Baptist Church of Gulf Shores for 16 years.

By: Harlie Guy; 7th