Benton Harbor High School puts on 90-day peace pledge, encouraging students to have a violence free summer

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- High schoolers coming together to sign a peace pledge ahead of summer vacation Tuesday morning in Benton Harbor.

The school and the district are aiming to keep the Tigers safe and hopefully also productive during their time off.

With summer just around the corner, Benton Harbor High School is making sure its students have the right mentality before 3 months off of school.

As students sat in the auditorium and listened to speakers and skits, one message from those they were listening to was clear.

Stay safe this summer and try to avoid situations that could put them at risk.

"When we do this as a community, as a whole organized community and family, we have a violence free summer. So, we're going into the summer, with a call to action to keep that violence down, to eliminate the violence, and that's what Peace Day is all about," said Cindy Goodson, Benton Harbor High School family and community engagement specialist.

In addition to encouraging students to stay safe, multiple Berrien County organizations were on hand to discuss their involvement in the community and see if students would have an interest in joining them during their time off.

"Getting them involved and understanding that their decisions can either have positive or negative consequences, so getting them at the point where they're thinking about the end before they do whatever action it is whether that's positive or negative but just getting their mind to see what the finish line is before we start the start of summer," said Arline Wilson, Benton Harbor Area Schools career and technical education director.

The skits put on by students were delivered with humor but came with a sobering message.

In order for the Benton Harbor community to thrive, it starts with putting down the weapons and staying out of trouble.

"When people see other people go up and look like them or seniors and underclassmen see people and speak up, they are encouraged to speak up as well and I know that this is very important, regardless if I'm leaving or not, I know that people are going to be here and we need changes in the community," said Samyah Crenshaw, Benton Harbor High School senior.

Organizers tell ABC57 one of Tuesday's goals was showing why the Peace4Life hubs are so crucial and why the 15 million dollars in funding from the state and a specialized mental health court are necessary.