Anti-bullying work needs help
The Leonard Pitts article in Monday’s Salisbury Post (“Courageous or spineless?”) ends with the words, “Teach your children well”
The article discusses the idea that we cannot be bystanders when we see something happening that is wrong. So many times we have heard about a person being bullied physically or emotionally, and no one does anything to stop the offense. Everyone believes that they will be the person to stop a violent event, but children, in particular, need to be taught that “one person can make a difference.”
This is the lesson that my program, The Second Step program, emphasizes in our anti-bullying lessons. I talk about it with my kindergarten and first-grade students on a weekly basis, and try to help them understand that no one can stand by and watch mean things happen.
My program is part of the agency, Families First, here in Rowan County, and we are a non-profit United Way agency. We exist only through grants, and even though we see 1,400 students a week in the Rowan-Salisbury schools, we receive nothing from the schools.
It is getting harder and harder to keep this great program going. We need financial help from our school system and wonder if calls from parents in the system to the superintendent, Dr. Lynn Moody, or your school board representative might help.
If you have a child who was in kindergarten or first grade during the past nine years at Overton, Koontz, Isenberg, Hurley, Granite Quarry, North Rowan Elementary or Hanford Dole, ask them about “Puppy” and the teacher who talks to them about feelings. See if they can tell you anything they remember, and then contact someone, please. Let’s make sure our children know that being a bystander is not the right thing.
— Lea Silverburg
Salisbury

You stole our flag
To the person(s) who stole our flag:
On July 4th of this year, we placed a patriotic display in front of our church located on Wildwood Road in North Salisbury. We returned to the church on the 5th to discover that someone had stolen a 3-by-5 American flag from the display.
We were saddened and disappointed that (1) someone would enter church property and steal anything, and that (2) presumably, as we celebrated the birth of our great nation, someone would steal from our church the primary symbol of that same nation.
We are not angry, mad or vengeful. As we celebrated and prayed to God on Sunday morning, we prayed for those involved that God may give grace to them as he has so freely given to us. We grieve for the individual as well as for America as a whole.
I went out and purchased a replacement flag and positioned it where the missing flag had stood the day before. This was done knowing that if good men continue to do nothing we will have allowed a thief to slip in under cover of darkness and steal our banner. May God once again bless America.
— The Rev. Steve Dulin
Salisbury
Dulin is pastor of Beulah Land Baptist Church.