400 Students Hit the Road on Behalf of Nonviolence

Nearly 400 students carrying “Walk for Peace” signs set off down Main Street on Tuesday as part of Huntington Beach High School’s celebration of Peace Week, dedicated to promoting tolerance and nonviolent resolution of conflict.

Walking hand in hand, students in the school’s first peace march encouraged drivers along the half-mile trek to Lake Park to honk their horns in support.

“We want kids to recognize that we’re all dependent on each other and we need to get along,” Principal Jim Staunton said as he helped serve hamburgers and hot dogs at the park. “It’s great to see these kids taking the time to do something that’s so meaningful.”

The school’s third annual Peace Week started Monday with speakers on such topics as teen violence and gang-related deaths. The week will include random-acts-of-kindness day, for which students are encouraged to eat lunch with those outside their usual circle of friends.

City officials, the Police Department, the school’s parent-teacher group and the Orange County Human Relations Commission were all involved in the planning, said Tera Heida, 17, Peace Week co-coordinator.

“This is a way to show that we’re not going to stand for any kind of violence in the community or the schools,” she said.

Seeking support from the community and a variety of students helped bring depth to this year’s Peace Week activities, said Rose Haunreiter, a speech and language pathologist who helped plan the event.

“We had a retreat prior to setting up the week, with kids, parents and teachers, where we looked at our own stereotypes and prejudices,” she said.

“By the end of the day we were able to plan together a week that encompasses all students and meets all students’ needs, not just those who tend to plan things on campus.”

The week’s activities are changing perceptions, student Tony Duarte said.

“We learned about different cultures and how to accept others, no matter how different they are,” said Duarte, 17, of Huntington Beach. “We talked about how to get along and respect others, and how you shouldn’t judge people without talking to them first.”

Other students said the whole campus seems to have heard the message of acceptance and good communication.

“This has never happened, all of us together,” said Ari Gratch, 15, of Stanton. “We never all get along.”

Jamie Pierce, 16, of Huntington Beach, echoed that sentiment: “There’s all these different groups together, and we’re talking to people we don’t know. This is really cool.”