School administrators did

Kristin Holtz — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:33:17 -0500

School administrators did not express concern about being able to pay for the daily counseling time. The district hopes to cover the two hours - to be purchased from the Wings Adolescent Treatment Center - through its crime levy. Business manager Todd Swanson said schools use the levy in different ways, including hiring police officers and purchasing security cameras.

America's youth are facing

randay91 — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:16:58 -0500

America's youth are facing an ever changing set of problems and barriers preventing them from having successful lives. It is hard to imagine that the youths of America are committing illegal acts such as burglary, arson, murder, selling of drugs, drug use, underage drinking, auto theft and crimes against other persons such as violent acts involving at times the use of weapons like knives and guns. However they are, and at alarming rates.
To accurately assess the juvenile justice system and its role in delinquency prevention, it is imperative to take into account the nature and volume of cases coming before American juvenile courts. According to the OJJDP, “in 1992, an estimated 1 million juveniles in the United States were charged with approximately 1.5 million delinquent acts, a 26-percent increase from the volume of cases reported in 1987.
According to McInnis (2002), “Risk factors play a very large part in juvenile delinquency.” Risk factors such as community disorganization, availability of drugs and firearms, and persistent poverty, make children more prone to involvement in delinquent behavior than if those factors were not present. Additionally, when a child's family life is filled with violence, problem behaviors, poor parental monitoring, and inconsistent disciplinary practices or maltreatment, a child's risk of delinquency increases (Becker 2002). Youth exhibiting combinations of these deficits in multiple domains of their lives are at highest risk of delinquency.
Needless to say juvenile delinquency has risen greatly over the years, and there are many contributing factors for juvenile delinquency. Comprehensive strategies continue to be implemented in order to offer juveniles the opportunity to restructure their lives as law abiding citizens. Our current juvenile justice system is not just about retribution, it also has dedicated its self to the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders, much like the adult justice system. However the juvenile justice does not act alone in the rehabilitation sector. States and local communities have begun to take serious interest in combating juvenile delinquency.
Communities are beginning to mobilize to combat juvenile delinquency through prevention, early intervention, and community-building strategies that address local needs. They are reducing serious and violent juvenile delinquency by using multi-agency, coordinated approaches and innovative programs and services in the juvenile justice system. But what do the communities look for when determining the type of prevention programs that are needed? Well, there is in reality no single cause of delinquency and violence. Delinquents, especially chronic delinquents, exhibit a variety of social and psychological deficits in their backgrounds. These deficits, often referred to as risk factors, stem from breakdowns in five influential domains in juveniles' lives: neighborhood, family, school, peers, and individual characteristics. (Vito & Simonsen 2004)
According to Vito & Simonsen (2004), “The most effective programs are those that address key areas of risk in the youth's life, those that seek to strengthen the personal and institutional factors that contribute to healthy adolescent development, those that provide adequate support and supervision, and those that offer youth a long-term stake in the community.”
Meeker County, the community that I live in, offers many community resources to its youth. Although they work independently, they collectively have the same agenda, combating juvenile delinquency through prevention, early intervention, and through education. The examples that I had selected for a research paper I did for school included the Libre Academy. It is sad to see that they are closing their doors because they are a great community based resource!
According to Becker (2002), “Studies and statistics show that adolescents that suffer from drug addiction that go through treatment and then go straight back into the same life (the same friends, school, patterns and challenges) have a very high chance of multiple relapses”. Libre Academy was designed to help students who had gone through treatment programs and returned to school, only to relapse and end up back where they had started.

I would hope that some how the the school district is able to find it within their budget to proceed as planned with the hiring of counselors to come into the school as stated in this artical.

I would love to see community members support this effort! Realize the impact that this could have in the lives of your children! It wo9uld be additionaly nice to see the community mobilize and come up with ideas as to financial contributions to this program! Is there a way we can get this out there on the radio and mobilize a community donations request and fundraising for this program in order to ensure it's survival?

Bonnie is an awesome person!

Renee — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:04:12 -0600

Bonnie is an awesome person! She will make a great addition to the high school...and the kids will be in heaven with her wonderful food that she prepares! They are truely lucky at the high school! Her food is just as good as the food grandma used to make...you can tell she takes pride in and cares about what she puts out there for the students to eat! Oh yea...and the staff as well...we appreciate the food also! Thanks Bonnie!! We love you!

A meeting to discuss changes

Kristin Holtz — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:33:09 -0600

A meeting to discuss changes to the proposed Greenleaf State Park scheduled for tonight at Ellsworth Township Hall has been canceled.

Congratulations LHS Marching

Douglas Wilson — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:28:27 -0600

Congratulations LHS Marching Band, as a past Marching Band member, I am really proud of the accomplishments the band has made.

You've come a long way baby!!

Litchfield Independent Review - Schools - Comments

School administrators did

America's youth are facing

Bonnie is an awesome person!

A meeting to discuss changes

Congratulations LHS Marching