Meghana Ramineni, Features Editor & Suhani Mahajan, Staff Writer

   For anyone exposed to the darker aspects of life not traditionally taught at a young age, the safety of kids is a major concern.

   Recently, posts have been circulating on social media related to suspicious encounters in the Johns Creek area. People speculate that these occurrences could be human trafficking - a claim that police have since disproved. These posts made many students uneasy due to the fact that the encounters happened very close to home. Although these posts are not the result of human trafficking, they serve as reminders that living in the Johns Creek bubble does not necessarily guarantee complete freedom from such dangers.

   Regarding situations that may escalate out of one’s control, self defense education could provide an advantage to students. Northview, among other schools, is unable to provide the full extent of such an education as it is not trained, staffed, or funded. Principal Brian Downey reveals that the school is obligated to teach courses according to the state standards, and if something such as self defense education is not required by the standards, the school will most likely not teach it. However, he recognizes the importance of spreading information, and if something was affecting Northview’s students, he would provide whatever support is needed. 

   “If there’s something going on in the community and impacting our kids, then I have a role in helping to spread awareness and education about it,” Downey said. “If there are things going on in our local community that [a student] thinks the principal should be aware, by all means, shoot me an email, write a story about it. Just let me know, and I can try to find out what we can do about it.”

   Downey, as a parent, also feels that both parents and educators will always worry about their kids. Downey communicates with parents, encouraging them to talk to their kids, by providing the information and resources for the conversation. He recognizes the instinct of wanting to prepare kids for their safety. 

   “As a parent and as an educator, we always worry. You know, you want to protect your kids and have them live in a bubble, but you can’t always have that,” Downey said. “It’s heartbreaking, the realities of the world we live in.”

   Officer Kenneth Kennebrew received a self defense education, as he has 31 years of service in the police department and had to receive such an education in preparation for situations that may escalate. Kennebrew describes self defense as common sense and situational awareness: knowing what to do once the fight or flight response initiates and being aware of what is happening in the area around you. Kennebrew advises someone who is dealing with an assailant to pull away and create space until he or she is able to identify the stranger and his or her intentions. He believes that being informed of what to do in stressful situations can greatly increase competence in that situation and that self survival training will help someone in numerous circumstances. 

   Kennebrew acknowledges the current human trafficking crisis in Georgia but is not aware of any traffickers in Johns Creek. Kennebrew, also a parent, reminds his family to pay attention to their surroundings and to not talk to strangers. 

   “Self protection should be a way of life and should not be taken for granted,” Kennebrew said. “It’s a peace of mind knowing if something happens in my presence I’m capable of protecting my loved ones and myself.” 

   Kennebrew has had to use his self defense education in real-life situations and admits that physical fitness will definitely help someone when it comes to confrontation but wants for people to understand that mindset is more important, as it ensures people never give up. 

   “Your fitness level is important, but a winning mindset is more important,” Kennebrew said. “A warrior mindset [that] I’m staying alive [and] I’m going home to my family.” 

   Sophomore Sophie DeYoung, who was approached, feels as if this experience has reminded her of the importance of being more aware of her surroundings. She hopes that in the future, students are educated in self defense to help better prepare them. 

   DeYoung was sitting alone in her car waiting for some friends when she encountered a stranger. The stranger told DeYoung a story which was repeated multiple times to others, as revealed later on social media. DeYoung was able to connect her experience to that of many others, and although there is no confirmation that this was trafficking, she still describes the encounter as scary and making her hesitant to be alone in a public place. 

   “It’s so scary to think about. I don’t know what I would do in such a situation where it wasn’t in my control,” DeYoung said. “I think schools should definitely be doing more to educate students. You can’t prevent everything, but having classes would help prevent something way worse from happening to someone.”

   Language arts teacher Chloe Grimes admires her students’ compassion and generosity, but worries that they may encounter an unpleasant situation. Due to the fact that Northview does not teach self defense education, Grimes is all the more anxious for her students.

   “It’s just scary for me as a teacher to think about you guys being put in such a vulnerable position, and us not having any control or any way to help you all with that,” Grimes said.

   The world may be full of danger, but Grimes likes to take a moment to notice and appreciate that although the posts about the recent encounters were uncomfortable and sudden, everyone was able to come together and alert others about these dangers. Students used social media as a platform for positive messages and spreading awareness to help keep people safe.

   “I think it’s been cool to see how, with such a negative thing happening, we view social media in a little bit more of a positive and productive way to get the word out to a lot of people,” Grimes said. “I think a [self defense education] is a great thing to incorporate. Take advantage of [opportunities] around you because [self defense education] is something that we know is important to do but we never really go do on our own.”