Harding Middle School Students' Stand Against Violence Will Lead To Community Walk Oct. 6

DES MOINES, IA. -- With nearly double the number of homicides occurring in Des Moines so far this year as in all of 2016, a group of north-side middle school students have organized a community walk to stand against violence. They will carry 24 balloons, one representing each homicide victim in the capital city.

Members of the Harding Middle School Wolf Pack, a student-run group aimed at promoting positive peer connections, will lead the Oct. 6 walk. It will start at North High School and head north on Sixth Avenue to Euclid Avenue, then return to North.

The walk is part of the Speak Up Against Violence campaign and will be held in conjunction with North High School’s homecoming festivities. Both North students and their gridiron rivals from Hoover High School have been invited to participate in the walk, along with other North and Hoover feeder schools and the north-side community.

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At Harding, 203 E. Euclid Ave., the walk is just one part of the curriculum focusing on social justice and community awareness.

Rap artist and local community activist Will Keeps, who earned a community service award from the Des Moines Police Department for his anti-violence efforts in the community and the school district, worked with eighth-grade Harding students earlier this week as part of the integrated arts, social justice and civic engagement study. Keeps will perform his latest release , "Droppin,' " prior to the walk.

Harding’s Speak Up Against Violence activities will begin at 5 p.m. Oct. 6 at North, where students will make signs and take part in tailgating festivities hosted by the high school.

Those taking part in the walk will gather at 5:15 p.m. at the southwest corner of the North campus. Walkers will return in time for the kickoff of the North homecoming game with Hoover at 7 p.m.

Read more about the school's focus on arts, social justice and community activism on the Des Moines schools' website.

Photo courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools