Eighth graders across Roanoke build their own community in gun-violence prevention program

A group of about 50 rising eighth graders are wrapping up the first summer of Community Builders, a program being piloted in Roanoke to curb gun violence.

The program, which pulls in students from across the city’s five middle schools, seeks to show young people their options for high school, college and the workforce by providing chances to interact with community members.

Their experiences over the past five weeks have ranged from visits with local agencies and businesses to college tours. At the Roanoke Police Academy, they got to try out a training obstacle course. During a visit to the fire department, the students learned how to rappel down the side of a building by doing it themselves. And along the way, they’ve gotten to know students from other schools they might not have had a chance to spend time with otherwise.

“When you’re at your school, you’re interacting with the same kids every single day,” said Makenzi Spradling, who attends Lucy Addison Middle School. Being in Community Builders four days a week provides ample opportunity to connect, and she says it’s taught her ways to get to know students who are new to her.

Kiana Bell, a middle school teacher and an instructor for Community Builders, said she rarely gets to meet students from other schools. So she, too, is making connections with students across the city, beyond the sixth-grade history classes she teaches at Addison.

“It allows me to build relationships with them, so that when I see them out in the community, we have that relationship and touch point,” she said.

During a media visit Monday at James Madison Middle School, students brainstormed ways to get involved in their community, from volunteering for their favorite organizations to writing letters to elected officials. Two staffers from the nonprofit Family Service of Roanoke Valley helped them list places in their community that they like, and which they thought could be improved.

Makenzi’s favorite field trip of the summer was to the downtown Roanoke courthouse, where they met with staff and judges and got to sit in a courtroom during a proceeding.

Makenzi wants to be a family lawyer, and she’s already thinking about what it will take to achieve her career goals, including going to college.

“College isn’t like middle school or high school,” she said. For one, students have to pay to attend. “You have to push yourself to go to school because you’re paying for it.”

That’s exactly the kind of knowledge Superintendent Verletta White hopes the students take from the program, which will continue throughout the school year. “We want our students to … see those things that are positive and productive and that will be constructive and productive for them in their lives,” she said.

Roanoke is one of two cities launching Community Builders as part of a two-year pilot approved by the General Assembly this spring. Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke and the chair of the House Education Committee, sponsored the measure in the House of Delegates.

Roanoke has seen a rise in gun violence in recent years. The city has had five homicides involving gunfire so far in 2024, according to data provided by the police department. In 2023, there were 12 homicides by gun. So far this year, there have been 18 incidents where a victim has been hit by gunfire. In 2023, there were 37.

Petersburg is also taking part in the pilot; Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg, introduced it in the Senate.

The program was authorized with $800,000 for the two school divisions over the biennium, and White said in the spring that much of the funding would go toward staffing, along with meals and transportation. During Monday’s media visit, several adults were stationed in each classroom to help facilitate sessions with guest speakers.

Rasoul said by phone Friday that he was impressed at the curriculum’s quality in its first iteration and praised the school division for its efforts. “I’m thankful they’ve taken this very seriously,” he said. “It’s very intentional. … It’s not just another program to keep kids busy over the summer.”

Roanoke will report its results from the pilot to the General Assembly. Among the metrics examined, White said, will be attendance and academic performance.

Details for programming during the school year are still in the works, she said. But she hopes that after continuing with their Community Builders cohort during the school year, the current students will serve as mentors for next year’s group of participants. “Then they will be able to be champions, not only for their community, but for each other,” she said.

White added that parents’ involvement with their young students is key to the program’s success, too. “This will only work if it’s a comprehensive program where it’s not just our college and workforce partners, but where parents are serving as our partners as well,” she said.

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