The message rang loud and clear throughout the Plymouth-Exchange neighborhood Friday:
Clara Barton School No. 2 students from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade marching and chanting, "We want peace!"
Darlene Sullivan is one of the staffers who organizes the yearly march. She believes that students can be the force of positive change in Rochester.
"I’m always very hopeful that our children are taking good lessons from here. We’re hoping that helps us be a peaceful community and that they go out, not just here in Rochester, but in the world, and make the world a better place. You start small and you grow," says Sullivan.
Even at an early age the kids recognize many of the issues around them in troubled neighborhoods nearby, where crime rates are some of the highest in the city.
The children say they want their voices heard, especially after the scenes of violence in Baltimore.
“My cousin died Thursday. It’s just wrong how they’re killing people for no reason. It’s just not right,” says 6th grade student, Eblyss Bliss.
Eblyss is just 12 years old and already feeling the painful effects of violent activity in the area.
For the past two decades, School No. 2 designates a week to celebrate and promote peace by having students and staff take part in various discussions and activities. Parents and community volunteers also play a role in emphasizing the importance of living peaceful lives.
Sullivan is looking at the bigger picture, and wants the neighborhood to stop making headlines.
“People would consider this a high risk neighborhood for crime. I think this [school] is a little island, that’s my belief. I hope that kids feel safe here at school, parents feel safe coming into our school, and we try to make it that.”
At the end of the parade, the entire student body formed the peace sign on the playground.
