Students Trade ‘Toys of Violence’ for Sweets
The student council at Malabar Elementary School in Boyle Heights recently sponsored a one-day toy swap in which students were invited to trade in their toy guns, knives, swords and other “toys of violence” for cookies.
About 100 toys were handed in during the April 20 swap and a couple days after, Assistant Principal Regina Goldman said. Two police officers from the Hollenbeck Division of the Police Department were on hand to encourage students to turn in their toy weapons.
“Student council members heard on the news that cities around the United States were asking people to turn in real weapons of violence,” Goldman said. “Someone had an idea to imitate that.”
Goldman said she believes the school will hold more toy swaps.
“We felt it was successful because we did it without much planning or advertising,” she said. “We simply spread the word, then sent home flyers. Students enjoyed it because they felt like they were doing something useful for the community.”
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