In other news, the Lenape Regional High School District held its annual day of Health and Wellness.
Front and Center: The gun debate in NJ
On the heels off the deadliest mass shooting in American history last month in Las Vegas, the debate over gun control has resurfaced yet again. A microcosm of that debate is happening right here in the Garden State, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy has campaigned on a platform of increased gun control, while his Republican opponent and current Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who says “New Jersey has among the strictest gun laws in the country,” has endorsed enforcing the laws the state already has on the books.
First, let’s take a look at Guadagno’s statement. Does New Jersey actually have some of the strictest gun laws in the country?
Organizations on both sides of the political spectrum seem to agree it does.
The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence — a left-leaning policy organization whose mission is “to save lives from gun violence by shifting culture, changing policies, and challenging injustice” — gives New Jersey an “A-” as part of its 2016 gun law state scorecard, citing the state’s requiring of “the licensing of all firearms dealers and their employees, and requires a permit to purchase any handgun.”
Additionally, the right-wing Guns & Ammo magazine has ranked New Jersey 49th on its list of “best state for gun owners” in the country for various reasons, including the fact that “ownership of tactical rifles is tightly regulated in New Jersey, and state law bans suppressors,” among other reasons.
A Lesson to be Learned
Robert Yates chose “12 Angry Jurors” for a reason.
“Especially now in society, there’s a lot of questions about how to treat each other or the right way to treat each other, how to be respectful of each other — that kind of thing,” Yates, who is the director of Seneca High School’s fall drama, told The Sun before a rehearsal in Seneca’s auditorium. “And the show really kind of hits on a lot of those ideas.”
The play is an adaptation of “12 Angry Men,” a classic courtroom drama movie released in 1957 in which 12 jurors — all of whom are men — deliberate the guilt of a 19-year-old kid who allegedly murders his father. But “12 Angry Jurors” utilizes both male and female jurors.
In the beginning of the play, all the jurors assume the kid is guilty based on their own preconceived notions about him, but not based on actual facts. One of the jurors casts doubt upon his guilt, and slowly but surely begins to persuade the other jurors one by one of his potential innocence.
Lenape Regional High School District Employees Enjoy a Day of Health and Wellness
– The Lenape Regional High School District (LRHSD) administration recently hosted a Health and Wellness Fair at Cherokee High School for the district’s employees. The inservice day had an itinerary that comprised workout classes, financial well-being workshops, guided meditation, a rock climbing class, and more. The focus of the 145 offered sessions was nutrition, mental health, professional services, leisure, and physical health.
Heather Xenakis, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at LRHSD, along with a committee of highly motivated staff members, organized the day for the staff and explained why a health and wellness day makes a difference. “Creating time for the staff to focus on their own well-being is crucial for energizing and reaffirming the amazing staff members with whom we have the privilege to work alongside,” said Xenakis.
The day was organized into four sessions. Approximately 900 staff members participated in workshops during three out of the four sessions and used their remaining session to visit the many vendors and community business booths in the cafeteria. Each staff member selected workshops of particular personal interest from a menu of 75 different workshop options. These options spanned a range of valuable topics related to health and wellness, including mindfulness, preventive and rehabilitative health strategies, healthy cooking/nutrition, fitness, and caring for aging family members.
