Bessemer City Primary students learn about fire safety
Bessemer City Primary students enjoyed a visit from the Bessemer City Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week. Principal Kristie Gornto,
left, thanked firemen Matt Huss, center, and Dusty Carpenter, right, for volunteering their time to teach the children about fire safety.
Students at Bessemer City Primary School had an opportunity
to meet some real-life heroes. As part of Fire Prevention Week,
firefighters from the Bessemer City Fire Department visited the school
to talk about fire safety.
It was the chance to see and climb inside a fire truck that really
captured the children’s attention.
Firefighters Matt Huss and Dusty Carpenter shared basic fire
safety tips with the students. They told them to leave the house
right away if it catches fire and not to go back inside for pets, stuffed
animals or special toys. They also encouraged the children to go
home and plan with their parents an emergency meeting spot outside
the house.
Huss also dressed up in his turnout gear that includes a mask and
oxygen tank.
“I look like Darth Vader and I talk like him when I’m breathing the
air,” he told the students. “Do not be scared of me when I have all my
gear on.”
The Bessemer City Fire Department has visited the school for Fire
Prevention Week for many years. Principal Kristie Gornto said the
program is a great learning opportunity for children.
“We appreciate the firefighters volunteering their time to give our
students safety information and help them learn what to do in a fire,”
she said. “You never know when that information will save a life.”
Thank you, Bessemer City Fire Department, for visiting Bessemer
City Primary School!
Schools kick off third year of Rachel’s Challenge
The choices you make in school each day will determine the
course of your future, former NFL player Steve Fitzhugh told students
at Hunter Huss High School.
Fitzhugh, who played for the Denver Broncos, challenged the
students to become leaders this school year rather than follow their
peers: “The true champions are those in here who have the courage
to go against the flow.”
Fitzhugh spoke at schools across Gaston County to kick off the
third year of Rachel’s Challenge, a nationally-recognized bullying
prevention program that aims to create a culture of compassion and
kindness in each school.
When Gaston County Schools launched Rachel’s Challenge in
2012, it became the first district on the East Coast to adopt the
program for every school and grade level. Fitzhugh and several other
motivational speakers – also former professional athletes – visited all
56 elementary, middle and high schools to encourage students to live
out Rachel’s Challenge this year.
The program encourages students to “start a chain reaction”
of compassion in their schools by looking for the best in others,
choosing positive influences and acting with kindness. It developed
from the inspiring story of Rachel Scott, the first victim of the
Columbine High School
shooting in 1999.
At Hunter Huss, Fitzhugh
engaged the students with music,
humor and group questions. He
encouraged them to surround
themselves with friends who will
help them make good decisions.
“I didn’t come here just to
tell you, ‘Just say no to drugs.’
You guys know that stuff already,” he said. “My challenge is this: be a
leader. Have the courage to lead – the courage to speak up when you
see injustice.”
Fitzhugh described the challenges he faced growing up and how
the choices he made led him to success.
“If you make a commitment now to become a leader, you’ve
already won,” said Fitzhugh. “The decisions you make today are the
seeds that are going to grow your future. Decide today how you are
going to do the rest of your life.”
Parent Teacher Magazine • Nov/Dec 2014 • 5