Thursday, January 31, 2013
West Middle School students donated money it raised through a candy cane sale to Newtown teachers, rather than its end-of-the-year festival.
When West Middle School student leaders sponsored a candy cane sale, they intended to use the profits for the school's end-of-the-year West Fest. But in light of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., students changed course. The school instead decided to donate all $235 it made to DonorsChoose.org to support Newtown teachers. The money allows Newtown teachers to request materials their students need and provide support as they restart their classrooms following the horrific events of Dec. 14, when a gunman killed 20 students and six adults at the school. So far, $72,699 has been donated to the cause from people around the world.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday's event at East Middle School focused on how each person can play a role in preventing the acts of violence seen in Newtown and the Oak Creek Sikh temple.
Those who came to Saturday's community forum ready for a fight on gun control—and judging by the NRA pamphlets distributed outside East Middle School, some were—probably went home disappointed. The forum was a departure from many of the debates happening around the country and in high levels of government following the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Ct. Five months after Oak Creek was shocked by the mass shooting at the Sikh temple, community leaders discussed how these events happen and the things any person can do to help prevent them in the future. "I wanted to make sure this wasn't a two-hour discussion about gun control, because frankly I don't think it would have been productive," Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi said. "Guns were …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Discussion on gun control, ownership and use has come to the forefront locally and nationally. Vote in our poll on the matter, and participate in the comments.
Three high-profile shooting deaths in the Milwaukee area since August — coupled with mass shootings in Aurora, CO and Newtown, CT — have heightened the national dialogue on gun ownership and control. It’s also increased the interest in Americans of owning guns. Sellers across the country reported surges in business following the Newtown elementary school shooting, and the head of the National Rifle Association called for armed security in schools. Meanwhile, Democrats plan to introduce federal legislation to ban production of high-capacity magazines, according to the Huffington Post. Have recent events made it more likely you would own a gun for personal safety? Or have they squelched any notion of owning one? Finally, have events and …
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Police Lt. Brian Murphy, wounded in the attack at the Sikh temple, gave his thoughts about the Newtown school shooting.
Editor's Note: Lt. Brian Murphy spoke to Patch after he was named Oak Creek Person of the Year. See that story here. Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy, shot 12 times during the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, was with his wife when he heard about the school shooting in Newtown, CT that left 26 dead, including 20 children. His wife, as much as anyone, could relate to what parents of Sandy Hook Elementary School students went through in those first minutes and hours: knowing that something terrible has happened and trying to figure out exactly what is going on. Murphy, meanwhile, has some idea of what first responders are dealing with: recovering from entering a gruesome scene at Sandy Hook and notifying parents of the deaths of …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Oak Creek offers help and advice on trying to heal following a mass shooting.
Unfortunately, Oak Creek knows about trying to heal after a mass shooting, with the city just four months out from the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. So a few days after the shocking attack in Newtown, Ct. that left 26 dead, Oak Creek officials reached out to leaders of the community to offer whatever help and advice they can. Mayor Steve Scaffidi said he reached out to the Newtown's first selectman, which is the chief executive and administrative officer of the town. In his own experience, Scaffidi said he focused on making something positive out of a negative situation—and continues to do so. Police Chief John Edwards said in an MSNBC interview that he left a message for the town's police chief and talked to some of the …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
On the Rachel Maddow Show, Edwards related some of his experiences from the Sikh temple shootings.
Police Chief John Edwards appeared on MSNBC Monday night in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. Edwards related his experience from the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, discussing the impact on the first responders and steps that have been taken in the aftermath. Watch the full video above. (Edwards appears at about the 6:45 mark)
Monday, December 17, 2012
Family members of those killed in the Aug. 5 attack at the Oak Creek Sikh temple joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plea for government leaders to come up with a plan to combat gun violence.
The sons of slain Oak Creek Sikh temple president Satawant Singh Kaleka joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's call for government action on combating gun violence. Pardeep and Amardeep Kaleka were among 34 people affected by gun violence who attended a press conference Monday in New York City in which Bloomberg pressed Congress and President Barack Obama for a plan to stop gun violence. The press conference was three days after a horrifying attack at a Connecticut elementary school that killed 26 people, including 20 children. "Words alone cannot heal our nation — only action can do that," Bloomberg said. "Gun violence is a national epidemic and a national tragedy that demands more than words. "We are the only industrialized country …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Those gathered for a candlelight vigil Sunday night at the Sikh temple expressed frustration at more violence and resolve to make things better.
The city of Oak Creek and the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin are, unfortunately, no strangers to mass shootings and the devastation that follows. Four months after a white supremacist killed six temple members, Oak Creek residents and the Sikh community gathered Sunday night at the temple for a vigil remembering the 26 people murdered Friday in Newtown, CT. The event was just two months after a vigil was held for three people shot and killed at the Azana Spa in Brookfield. Many who attended expressed frustration that gun violence continues to cause havoc and take the lives of innocent people. But the vigil also brought out resolve to prevent more tragedies from happening. "We have to work harder to make the world better," said Kanwardeep Singh …
After visiting families of Sikh temple shooting victims, Sikh filmmaker Valarie Kaur traveled to Newtown, Ct. Friday.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
A vigil will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday at the temple on Howell Avenue, where a mass shooting took place just four months ago.
The Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, 7512 S. Howell Ave., will host a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Sunday to remember the lives lost in Friday's school shooting in Newtown, Ct. Twenty-six people, including 20 children, died Friday after a 20-year-old man forcibly entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and began firing. The Oak Creek Sikh temple was the site of a mass shooting just four months ago. Temple members also held a vigil after the shooting at Azana Spa in Brookfield. Follow Newtown Patch for the latest on the Connecticut school shootings.
SoccerMom
12:40 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
So happy to see an article about something positive going on in our schools -- something that is not about picking sides and politics -- just a good school doing a good thing for others! Happy to have my child at West and proud of the work they are doing there! more ›