Mansfield Sr. assembly addresses bullying and gun violence
April 18, 2018
From left, Mayor Tim Theaker, Assistant Principal at Mansfield Senior High School, Andrew Sciefer, Patty Harrelson, executive director of Richland County Children Services and Brian Garverick, superintendent of Mansfield School District pose for a picture after the mayor read a proclamation about 'See Something, Hear Something, SAY SOMETHING.'
Richland Source: Reporter Noah Jones
April 18, 2018
MANSFIELD -- Before Assistant Principal Andrew Schiefer worked for Mansfield Senior High School, he was working at Great Mills High School in Maryland.
One spring day he received a text message from his wife.
"Call me. I need you to check on our friends."
Schiefer said the message gave him instant panic. He called his wife.
"She tells me the news," he said in front of the Freshman Academy during a mid-morning school assembly. "The school where you used to be a principal, just had a school shooting.
"The school where everyone said, 'it wouldn't happen here.' It was just rocked by gun violence."
Schiefer said he texted his former co-workers.
"One-by-one, all of my old colleagues texted me back," he said. "'Yes, I'm OK.' or 'I've left the classroom and we are heading back to the school for pick up.'"
He had one text left unanswered by the principal who replaced him. Finally, after several moments full of worries, his phone buzzed.
Schiefer had texted his Great Mills High School replacement, "U Okay?"
The response back read, "At least two. One critical head wound. I was called to do CPR and we worked on her for 15 or so minutes before medics came with the ambulance. I did compressions on my student then when paramedics came I switched to airway.
"The other was a leg wound. I taught both. Please pray."
Schiefer said the incident happened in the hallway where he used to work. He told the students his wife taught the shooter in kindergarten; the shooter's mother was a colleague when she taught in Maryland.
After this incident, the school decided to form a new policy, 'See something, hear something, say something.'
The students in the auditorium listened to speakers talk about the importance of reaching out when they see or hear threats of violence.
"Everyone deserves to feel safe," Mansfield superintendent Brian Garverick said. "If you don't feel safe, nothing else matters. It is up to us to be our brother's keeper.
"We are responsible in large part to watch out for everyone's safety. If you hear something, you see something, say something."
Garverick said he wanted students to reflect on the words of speakers in the assembly.
"What would that have changed in their lives? When someone is bullied or threatened with violence, it doesn't just affect them," Garverick said. "It affects their friends, their family and the perpetrator -- affects their family too. This is a community issue and a national issue.
"See Something, Hear Something, Say Something."
« Back to News
