House (and hunger) for the holidays: families struggle to feed children during the school holidays

Erreur lors de deserialisation du corps du message de réponse pour l' opération «Translate». Greatness du maximum quota pour longueur du contenu de Chaîne (8192) lors de données XML lecture. EC quota peut être augmenté in amending the MaxStringContentLength Propriété sur l'objet XmlDictionaryReaderQuotas utilise pendant la création du lecteur XML. Ligne 1, position 8833. Jonathan Adams / for NBC NewsMichael Taylor, Jr., 12, of Abingdon, VA., gives thanks with his brothers and grandmother, Elizabeth Salyers, for the meal they received at a local food pantry.By Nona Willis Aronowitz, NBC News contributorThe snow was blowing sideways in New York City last Saturday, but parents still streamed in to New York Common Pantry, some leading as many as four or five children by the hand while they sat with volunteers and chose their food on an iPad."I'm here to stock up," said pantry client Theresa Garcia. In one week, Garcia's three children, who attend public school, would be home for an eight-day holiday break, a long stretch of going without the two free meals they eat in school every day.The East Harlem pantry was Garcia's second stop for supplies that day; She already visited a food bank near the shelter where her family is staying in East New York, more than an hour away on the subway. "I also had to give my church when heads up that these next weeks I'll need extra help," she said. "You hit it from all angles."Garcia's kids are among 24 million American children who qualify for free or reduced lunch and breakfast at school-48 percent of all public school students. For many kids, those meals are the only ones they will eat all day. That all changes during school holidays, when the burden falls on low - income parents to provide three meals a day. The United States Department of Agriculture provides food assistance to many families during summer break, but there's no similar infrastructure in place for the end-of-year holidays, when kids are home for up to two weeks.And they have healthy appetites."Especially with boys, they're never, ever full," says Elizabeth Salyers, who's raising her three young grandsons in Abingdon, Va. Salyers had been getting by on social security and the spousal benefits from her late husband, a disabled veteran, when the kids came to live with her in 2009. But four years later, she says her "funds are slowly dissolving." She has had to rely on the Abingdon Soup Kitchen and other programs around town in order to feed the kids. It'll be doubly difficult to keep the boys' bellies full until January 8th, when they go back to school.Jonathan Adams / for NBC NewsElizabeth Salyers, 71, looks through a box of vegetables at the Harvest Home Kitchen in Abingdon, VA., with grandchildren Dashaun and Ector Taylor."You just take what's available, and you can stretch it 50 different ways if you have to," Salyers said. She prepares hearty dishes that "expand when you cook ' em," like oatmeal and spaghetti. On days the boys sleep late, she breathes a sigh of relief; She can get away with serving them breakfast, snack, and supper.Kathy Underhill, the executive director of Hunger Free Colorado, is well aware of this annual problem facing low - income families of school-aged children. "What the holidays mean is that families already on a razor-thin margin have to struggle even further," she said. In her state, 10 percent of households-about 511,000 families - are currently on SNAP benefits, and another 390,000 more are eligible.Mildred Floyd of Golden, Colo., is the head of one of those families. Even with just one teenage are at home during break, "the impact on my budget is astronomical," she said. "[My son] is in his comfort zone, sitting in front of the TV, so sometimes he eats even a little more than usual."For Floyd, who is unemployed, it's not just the money that poses a problem but the logistics."During the holidays, you have to be able to get to whatever site that's giving food," she said. "You have to get creative." "You have to drive all over town." During school breaks, filling the gap of school meals becomes an elaborate dance of research, transportation, and sign-up sheets."Families start mixing and matching with other community resources when they don't have school lunch, but with overworked parents and bus routes being cut, this isn't always possible," said Peggy Halderman, founder of the Golden Backpack Program, which tries to simplify parents' holiday juggling acts.Every week, the program sends 588 local students-including Floyd's son home from school with enough food to feed a child over the weekend. During the holidays, students get a "double backpack", stocked with supplies for four days. This year, another group at the Rotary Club of Golden, of which Halderman is a member, 80 boxes packed for a similar Holiday Food Box Project and dropped them off at the local elementary school.Jonathan Adams / for NBC NewsEctor Taylor, 9, checks to see how he measures up to his grandmother, who often worries if she can provide enough for three growing boys.Some programs across the country go a step further and maintain children's school meal routines during the holiday season. Kids Unlimited in Medford, ore., which runs an academics-focused afterschool program during the school year, offers a 10-hour-a-day enrichment program for elementary-, middle-, and high school students during holiday breaks, on site at the students' schools. The holiday program includes meals through Sodexo, which gets reimbursed by the USDA, said Tom Cole, director of Kids Unlimited."Being able to feed kids is part of creating a level playing field, because kids can't learn or focus when they re hungry," Cole said. "We keep that going [during holidays] to take the pressure off families."These programs strive to make a difference, yet some who staff them are indignant that the government and public schools aren't doing more to help. Kathy Underhill points out that the SNAP program, or food stamps, usually picks up the slack when kids are out of school, but with cuts that kicked in November 1, lots of families are "waiting for the other shoe to drop."Cole says our country's education system "hasn't thought outside the box about social service issues they can help with. "Most schools don't have an infrastructure in place to support kids outside the normal school days." They don't have partnerships with community organizations like Kids Unlimited, he says, or aren't willing to open schools during breaks for outside programming.As for parents, they say they work hard to maintain the holiday spirit despite the added stress-but it's not easy. "I force a smile sometimes," Floyd said. "It's overwhelming." "You not only have those three meals a day, but you have to put something in that Christmas stocking."Education coverage for NBCNews.com is supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation.Related:This story was originally published on Tue Dec 24, 2013 5:35 PM EST

Kicked out of high school for 'public lewdness' after reporting rape

  John Brecher / NBC NewsBy Abigail Pesta , NBC News contributor TOMBALL, Texas—When Rachel Bradshaw-Bean claimed she had been raped in the band room of her high school in Texas, school officials sprang into action—and kicked her out of school."I felt like a criminal," she said, describing the December 2010 incident in her first extended interview on the crisis and aftermath. Accused of "public lewdness," she was sent to a special school for students with discipline problems, along with the boy she said had assaulted her. "I saw him there all the time," she said.It's not an isolated incident. The events at Henderson High School in East Texas demonstrate the obstacles girls sometimes face when reporting sexual violence in schools. "High schools across the country are failing to live up to their responsibility to address sexual assault and harassment," said Neena Chaudhry, an attorney with the National Women's Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy group in Washington, D.C. "There's no excuse."Bradshaw-Bean and her family fought back, sparking a Department of Education probe into whether the school had violated Title IX, the federal law prohibiting gender discrimination in education. Under the law, schools must follow specific rules when a student reports sexual violence; those rules include launching an internal investigation separate from any police inquiry. Henderson High School relied solely on a police investigation that deemed the sex consensual.Today, with reports of teen sexual assault making national headlines, Bradshaw-Bean, now 20, said she is speaking out so that girls know their rights and schools properly address reports of sexual violence. "I don't want anyone else to have to go through what I did," she said. Her battle to clear her name, while navigating a disciplinary school that treated her "like a prisoner," she said, changed the course of her life.'It kills you. You die'Curled up in an armchair in her apartment in Tomball, on the outskirts of Houston, she described her life before the crisis blew it up. She enjoyed playing the euphonium in band. She volunteered with the Key Club around Henderson, a scenic town known for its historic homes and a syrup festival. She raised chickens as a member of Future Farmers of America. She planned to study pre-med in college.Raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she said her mother and stepfather taught her to be modest, polite. She and her mother are close and talk often. "My mom is so polite and classy—and also a hardcore rocker," she said. "She likes Metallica." Bradshaw-Bean hadn't had much experience with boys, just one boyfriend. During her junior year, she said, a boy in band had suggested she give him a "blow job" and she didn't know what that meant so she went home and asked her mother.Midway through her senior year, on December 6, 2010, an otherwise normal day turned chaotic. She was hanging around school at day's end, she said, waiting for a Key Club meeting to start. A boy asked her to go into the band room to talk and she went; he was a year younger, she said, and she didn't know him well. In the room, she said, things took a violent turn and he raped her. She said she distinctly recalls saying no. Afterward, she said, "I was crying. I pulled my pants up and went to the bathroom to clean myself up."She then went to an assistant band director, she said, telling him what had happened. His words stunned her: "He told me to work it out with the boy. There's no way I would do that. But I didn’t know what to think. I was 17."Henderson High School declined to comment on the case, citing student privacy laws.Feeling "shocked and numb," said Bradshaw-Bean, she went to her Key Club meeting that evening. Then she went to a band meeting, where her mother, stepfather and seven-year-old brother joined her. The boy from the band room was there too, she said, with his mother. Bradshaw-Bean sat silently through it."I didn't tell my parents. I didn't want them to have to go through that," she said, looking down at a Rubik's Cube that calms her in times of stress. She stayed home from school the next day, she said, then went back a day later and told a friend what had happened. The two girls together told another assistant band director. This time, the news got to an assistant vice principal. The school called the police and her parents. When her mother arrived at the school, Bradshaw-Bean said, "she had this look in her eyes, like she had died."Her mother, Colleen Chevallier, echoes that sentiment. "It kills you. You die. You stay dead for a while," she said. "You become another person. I'm not the same person I was before this."Expert: Schools don't know the rulesThere were some 3,800 reported incidents of sexual battery and 800 reported incidents of rape or attempted rape in public high schools in the 2007-8 school year, according to a Department of Education letter to educators in 2011. (The department sends such letters periodically to issue policy guidance.) Calling the sexual violence a "call to action for the nation," the department reminded schools of their Title IX responsibilities, including the obligation to launch an internal investigation into reports of sexual assault to ensure a safe environment for students. Another requirement: appointing a Title IX coordinator to ensure compliance with the law.The problem, said Sandra Park, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, is that educators don't necessarily know the rules. For instance, she said, the Title IX coordinator is often a school employee with other responsibilities who "just wears that additional hat" and doesn't have a firm grasp of the law. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights said it has received 59 complaints that include Title IX allegations related to sexual violence this year, up from 33 such complaints in 2012. The complaints are from all educational levels, from elementary to postsecondary.In one case similar to Bradshaw-Bean's, the office ruled last year that Forest Hills Central High School in Michigan had failed to properly respond when a girl said she was sexually assaulted in the band room. The parents say the principal had discouraged them from filing criminal charges against the boy, an athlete. (The family did file charges and the boy pleaded guilty, according to the National Women's Law Center, which is now working with the family on a suit against the school.) Superintendent Daniel Behm said the school district "strongly disagrees" with aspects of the Department of Education findings, and that the school immediately called the police and parents when the assault was reported.In Ohio, the Steubenville school district is under fire in a high-profile case in which two high-school football players raped a girl during a night of postgame partying. The boys were convicted this past spring. Last month, four current and former employees of Steubenville City Schools were indicted in a grand jury investigation into a possible cover-up of the crime. One is the superintendent, charged with obstructing justice and tampering with evidence, among other charges. A fifth school employee was indicted a month earlier.Among the obstacles teenage girls face are deep-rooted misogynistic views on rape, said Park. "We've accepted a lot of victim-blaming," she said. "We're so intent on scrutinizing what the victim did, not the perpetrator's actions." She added, "In high schools, the students are so young, I think people are also loath to believe kids could be confronting this kind of violence." But they are. Forty-four percent of rape victims in America are under the age of 18, according to the nonprofit Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.Burden of proofWhen Bradshaw-Bean got the attention of school officials, she was sent to a children's health clinic for a medical exam. NBC News obtained a copy of the medical report, which showed lacerations to the hymen and bleeding "consistent with information given per victim," the report said. A forensic specialist who works with the police interviewed Bradshaw-Bean at the clinic, according to Michael Jimerson, the Rusk County district attorney. Bradshaw-Bean said she felt numb during the interview, not crying—which she thinks worked against her with the police. "I just felt like I couldn't cry anymore," she said. "I was just taking in so much."Rachel Bradshaw-Bean says she was sent to a disciplinary school after reporting that she was raped because she didn't conform to the authorities' idea of how a rape victim should behave.The police called her parents to the station a day later, according to her mother. There, said Chevallier, she learned that no criminal charges would be filed. "They said the sex was consensual. I was so shocked," she said. "I thought, they are pushing this under the rug. She's being treated this way because she's a female. I looked at my husband and said, 'Do they know women have the right to vote?'"Jimerson rejects those claims, saying "the case was investigated, reviewed and declined for prosecution based on the law and the evidence." Jimerson said a security-camera video showed Bradshaw-Bean walking into the band room behind the boy; it did not show what happened inside the room. "In cases like this, you can either substantiate or not substantiate the claims," he said. "We broke it down with her version of events and his. Her claims could not be substantiated. At the end of the day, I just know that objectively, there was almost no chance of a conviction. As a prosecutor, I have to be vigilant about the cases I pursue."He said the medical report is inconclusive, as lacerations to the hymen could occur from either consensual sex or sexual assault, and medical experts would testify to that. In addition, he said, according to his notes on the case, Bradshaw-Bean had used language that "implied consensual sex instead of forcible rape" in the interview with the forensic specialist, such as, "I am not saying I did not want to do it." Jimerson says he does not have the context—the statements made before and after that remark—in his notes.Bradshaw-Bean said she doesn't remember exactly what she said but that the quote sounds like something taken out of context. "I was reporting a rape," she said. "It sounds like my words are getting twisted. If you have to twist someone's words to make your case, then something's not right."The Henderson Police Department declined to comment on the case. NBC News filed an open-records request with the City of Henderson to see the police documents; the City Attorney declined the request, citing the fact that the alleged perpetrator was a juvenile.Park said she understands the "burden of proof," noting that Bradshaw-Bean "went into the band room voluntarily—she wasn't dragged." However, she said, there was a report of rape, "and I don't think you close a case like this in basically a day. There seemed to be a rush to judge her and close the case rather than doing a full investigation."'I hated the world'Regardless of what the police concluded, however, Henderson High School had a legal obligation to launch its own investigation, which it did not do. Instead, it decided to discipline Bradshaw-Bean and the boy for "public lewdness," assigning them both to a disciplinary school for 45 days.Chevallier said the high school informed her of its decision within days of the police ruling. She tried to get her daughter transferred to another high school, she said, but was denied due to the disciplinary action. "They were treating the victim like a criminal," she said. "It was really like living in hell. If it hadn't happened to me—if someone else told me this story—I'd think it wasn't true."At the disciplinary school, part of a statewide program called the Disciplinary Alternative Education Program, Bradshaw-Bean said she sat in a room with much younger students—some from the sixth grade—at a desk facing the wall, doing textbook work. During this time, she felt increasingly angry and emotional: "I hated the world," she said. At the same time, she felt vulnerable. "I felt paranoid to even take a shower by myself," she said. "Someone would have to sit with me in the bathroom."The family descended into chaos. "I felt like I was breaking in half," said Chevallier. Her husband drove their daughter to and from the disciplinary school, she said, to shield Chevallier from seeing the boy who upended her daughter's life. Bradshaw-Bean said she was not in the same class as the boy, but saw him regularly, for instance when arriving at school or going to the bathroom. The Henderson school district declined to comment on her claims. Bradshaw-Bean also believes the boy trashed her to other kids. She said a student once told her she had "asked for it." Another time she received a taunt on Facebook, she said, from a male relative of the boy. Her mother remembers that note. "It said, 'You weak,'" she said. "I wrote him back—I just let him have it. I said, 'This is Rachel's mom. If you say one more word to her, I will put you in jail.'"Chevallier, who has worked as both a substitute teacher and a prison administrator, went to the ACLU. "I thought, this cannot pass," she said. "I think everyone underestimated us."A 'really egregious' caseThe case was "really egregious," said Park, the ACLU lawyer. She filed a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education, and helped get Rachel transferred to another high school.As the government investigation began, Bradshaw-Bean graduated and went into a funk. "My personality changed," she said. "I didn't want to do anything. I blamed myself for the longest time." She had planned to go to community college. Instead she stayed home, depressed, she said, with no job. After a few months, she enrolled in nearby Kilgore College "to get out of my parents' hair," she said. But she wasn't up for it, and left soon after.In June 2012, a year and a half after the incident in the band room, Bradshaw-Bean finally got some news that helped her get her life back on track. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights wrapped up its investigation of Henderson High School, ruling that the school had violated Title IX by failing to independently investigate the case—and also had retaliated against Bradshaw-Bean, failing to provide "a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason" for banishing her to the disciplinary school.The office laid out a 13-point plan to bring the school in line with its responsibilities under Title IX, including extensive training of the faculty. The school was also required to clear Bradshaw-Bean's record of the disciplinary-school placement, and to pay for a few counseling sessions."The counselor really helped," she said, adding that she felt vindicated by the ruling. "Finally, I thought, there are some smart people in the world—rational people with levelheaded thoughts. It restored my faith in humanity." She said she hopes her case will spur schools to know the rules and respond appropriately to reports of sexual violence.In a statement, Henderson High School said it has revised its investigation procedures "to meet Title IX requirements" and provide "a safe environment for all of our students." Further, the school said, as of Dec. 4, 2013, it is in full compliance with all 13 requirements in the plan laid out by the Office for Civil Rights.The Department of Education declined to comment on the case, saying it is still monitoring the school.'I can help others facing injustice'This past fall, Bradshaw-Bean went back to college, attending Lone Star College in Tomball. She is also a newlywed, recently marrying a young man named Robert Bean who she had met in the cafeteria at Kilgore College one morning just before leaving the school. "He is so good. He has so much understanding," she said, opening a little box of neatly handwritten love letters she has given him.Riding to dinner in a cab with him since the two don't own a car, Bradshaw-Bean talked with the driver about his troubles, nodding sympathetically while he described a leg lost from diabetes. At the restaurant, her husband held her hand. She teased him about how he is shy around strangers. When talk turned to her ordeal, her husband became serious, saying, "I encouraged her to tell her story."She describes him as her support system. One night, she said, her little brother broke her Rubik's Cube, which she calls her "lifesaver" for helping her cope in moments of anxiety about her past. "I started crying. I just lost it," she said. "Robert stayed calm. He just went out to Walmart and bought me a new one."She said she is excited about being back in college: "I'm as happy as can be right now." As for the boy who derailed her senior year, she said, "He took away my joy, but I got it back, double-fold." Her plan now is to study criminal justice and criminal psychology. "I think about how I'll live my life—I think about what I will do with my experience," she said. Because of the injustice she endured, she said, "I can help others facing injustice of their own."Abigail Pesta is an award-winning journalist who has lived and worked around the world, from London to Hong Kong. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, Marie Claire and Newsweek. Follow her at @AbigailPesta.This story was originally published on Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:19 AM EST

Gunman in Colo. high school shooting shot self when confronted by officer

 The 18-year-old Colorado man who shot a fellow student before killing himself Friday intended to shoot numerous people, but his rampage was interrupted by a school resource officer who responded to the shooting, officials said Saturday. Ed Andrieski / APArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Claire Davis the 17-year-old student that was shot during a briefing Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. Davis was shot by 18-year-old shooting suspect Karl Halverson Pierson at the school on Friday before he took his own life. “His intent was evil,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said of Karl Halverson Pierson. “And his evil intent was to harm multiple individuals.”Upon entering the school, Robinson said, Pierson fired one round down the hallway. He then shot Claire Esther Davis, 17, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as he headed toward the library. The girl suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition at Littleton Adventist Hospital.Confronted by the officer, the teen committed suicide less than a minute and a half after he entered the building, armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition that he purchased legally, the sheriff said.In a statement, Claire’s family asked for “continued prayers” for the teenager, who remained in critical condition.“She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” Robinson said.He then read the statement from her family:"Our beautiful daughter Claire Davis has severe head trauma as a result of a gunshot. She needs your continued prayers," the family said.Authorities release the name of the shooting victim and offer a timeline of the incident, which took just one minute and 20 seconds. NBC's Ron Mott reports. They also expressed their gratitude to first responders and the trauma team that responded during Friday's brief incident at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo.,  “for saving our daughter’s life and quickly getting her into surgery,” according to the statement.Robinson said he does not believe Davis and the shooter knew each other.  Davis had been previously identified as a 15-year-old student. Robinson said the student gunman purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the shooting incident legally on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, then legally purchased multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition on Friday morning. Pierson was also armed with a machete and three Molotov cocktails, one of which was set off. Robinson said the explosives were made of 12 to 16 ounce bottles containing flammable liquid and were brought into the school in a backpack. The weapons were found on and around the shooter's body, he said. Pierson set off one of the Molotov cocktails, setting a fire in the library. Robinson said the response of a school resource officer was “absolutely critical” to the fact that that there were no additional injuries or deaths.The parents of a 17-year-old student shot and critically wounded in a Colorado school shooting said "she needs your continued prayers" in a statement read by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson Robinson said Pierson entered the school from the north side and fired one random shot down the hallway before firing at the victim at point blank range.Pierson then entered the library and ignited one of the Molotov cocktails.The deputy sheriff then ran through a long hallway from the cafeteria to the library. While the deputy was containing the shooter, the shooter took his own life at the north end of the library, Robinson said.Robinson said the motive in the shooting was seen "as some type of retaliation" against a school staff member. Robinson said that Pierson was subject to disciplinary action from the school's debate team coach in September, but denied reports that he had been kicked off the debate team.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Family of student wounded in Colo. high school shooting: 'She needs your ... prayers'

 The 18-year-old Colorado man who shot a fellow student before killing himself Friday intended to shoot numerous people, but his rampage was interrupted by a school resource officer who responded to the shooting, officials said Saturday. Ed Andrieski / APArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Claire Davis the 17-year-old student that was shot during a briefing Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. Davis was shot by 18-year-old shooting suspect Karl Halverson Pierson at the school on Friday before he took his own life. “His intent was evil,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said of Karl Halverson Pierson. “And his evil intent was to harm multiple individuals.”Upon entering the school, Robinson said, Pierson fired one round down the hallway. He then shot Claire Esther Davis, 17, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as he headed toward the library. The girl suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition at Littleton Adventist Hospital.Confronted by the officer, the teen committed suicide less than a minute and a half after he entered the building, armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition that he purchased legally, the sheriff said.In a statement, Claire’s family asked for “continued prayers” for the teenager, who remained in critical condition.“She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” Robinson said.He then read the statement from her family:"Our beautiful daughter Claire Davis has severe head trauma as a result of a gunshot. She needs your continued prayers," the family said.Authorities release the name of the shooting victim and offer a timeline of the incident, which took just one minute and 20 seconds. NBC's Ron Mott reports. They also expressed their gratitude to first responders and the trauma team that responded during Friday's brief incident at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo.,  “for saving our daughter’s life and quickly getting her into surgery,” according to the statement.Robinson said he does not believe Davis and the shooter knew each other.  Davis had been previously identified as a 15-year-old student. Robinson said the student gunman purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the shooting incident legally on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, then legally purchased multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition on Friday morning. Pierson was also armed with a machete and three Molotov cocktails, one of which was set off. Robinson said the explosives were made of 12 to 16 ounce bottles containing flammable liquid and were brought into the school in a backpack. The weapons were found on and around the shooter's body, he said. Pierson set off one of the Molotov cocktails, setting a fire in the library. Robinson said the response of a school resource officer was “absolutely critical” to the fact that that there were no additional injuries or deaths.The parents of a 17-year-old student shot and critically wounded in a Colorado school shooting said "she needs your continued prayers" in a statement read by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson Robinson said Pierson entered the school from the north side and fired one random shot down the hallway before firing at the victim at point blank range.Pierson then entered the library and ignited one of the Molotov cocktails.The deputy sheriff then ran through a long hallway from the cafeteria to the library. While the deputy was containing the shooter, the shooter took his own life at the north end of the library, Robinson said.Robinson said the motive in the shooting was seen "as some type of retaliation" against a school staff member. Robinson said that Pierson was subject to disciplinary action from the school's debate team coach in September, but denied reports that he had been kicked off the debate team.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

'His intent was evil': Colorado high school gunman intended to shoot numerous people, sheriff says

 The 18-year-old Colorado man who shot a fellow student before killing himself Friday intended to shoot numerous people, but his rampage was interrupted by a school resource officer who responded to the shooting, officials said Saturday. Ed Andrieski / APArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a picture of Claire Davis the 17-year-old student that was shot during a briefing Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo. Davis was shot by 18-year-old shooting suspect Karl Halverson Pierson at the school on Friday before he took his own life. “His intent was evil,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said of Karl Halverson Pierson. “And his evil intent was to harm multiple individuals.”Upon entering the school, Robinson said, Pierson fired one round down the hallway. He then shot Claire Esther Davis, 17, who just happened to be sitting nearby with a friend as he headed toward the library. The girl suffered severe head trauma and remains in critical condition at Littleton Adventist Hospital.Confronted by the officer, the teen committed suicide less than a minute and a half after he entered the building, armed with a shotgun and multiple rounds of ammunition that he purchased legally, the sheriff said.In a statement, Claire’s family asked for “continued prayers” for the teenager, who remained in critical condition.“She was an innocent victim of an evil act of violence,” Robinson said.He then read the statement from her family:"Our beautiful daughter Claire Davis has severe head trauma as a result of a gunshot. She needs your continued prayers," the family said.Authorities release the name of the shooting victim and offer a timeline of the incident, which took just one minute and 20 seconds. NBC's Ron Mott reports. They also expressed their gratitude to first responders and the trauma team that responded during Friday's brief incident at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo.,  “for saving our daughter’s life and quickly getting her into surgery,” according to the statement.Robinson said he does not believe Davis and the shooter knew each other.  Davis had been previously identified as a 15-year-old student. Robinson said the student gunman purchased the pump-action shotgun used in the shooting incident legally on Dec. 6 at a local retail outlet, then legally purchased multiple rounds of shotgun ammunition on Friday morning. Pierson was also armed with a machete and three Molotov cocktails, one of which was set off. Robinson said the explosives were made of 12 to 16 ounce bottles containing flammable liquid and were brought into the school in a backpack. The weapons were found on and around the shooter's body, he said. Pierson set off one of the Molotov cocktails, setting a fire in the library. Robinson said the response of a school resource officer was “absolutely critical” to the fact that that there were no additional injuries or deaths.The parents of a 17-year-old student shot and critically wounded in a Colorado school shooting said "she needs your continued prayers" in a statement read by Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson Robinson said Pierson entered the school from the north side and fired one random shot down the hallway before firing at the victim at point blank range.Pierson then entered the library and ignited one of the Molotov cocktails.The deputy sheriff then ran through a long hallway from the cafeteria to the library. While the deputy was containing the shooter, the shooter took his own life at the north end of the library, Robinson said.Robinson said the motive in the shooting was seen "as some type of retaliation" against a school staff member. Robinson said that Pierson was subject to disciplinary action from the school's debate team coach in September, but denied reports that he had been kicked off the debate team.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Arapahoe high school shooting: 17-year-old girl shot in the head is in a coma

NBC NewsArapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson holds a photo of Claire Davis student of 17 years who was killed during a briefing Saturday, December 14, 2013, at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado.By Ron Mott and Tracy Connor, NBC NewsThe 17-year-old girl shot her at point-blank range in the head at a high school in Colorado, which is being described as "one of the best people" - is in a coma and in critical condition, said Sunday his family.Claire Esther Davis, a senior from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, wounded on Friday in an attack by 80 seconds by gunman student Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, which came into the building of packing a gun and a grudge about being on the bench on the debate team, police said.The victim's family had previously said that it suffered a severe trauma, but provides more details about his condition on Sunday and thanked emergency workers that led to the hospital."Claire remains in critical condition."She is stable, but is in a coma, they said in a statement released through the Littleton Adventist Hospital."Rescuers have Claire to the right place, at the right time, and the doctors and hospital staff are doing a great job taking care of it."Thank you for your continuing good thoughts and prayers, and it will provide updates as it improves their condition."Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson, said Claire was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that the motive for the murder was in retaliation against a staff member.Karl Pierson had grown angry and made threat remarks before shot a student and himself in a high school in Colorado. Reports Ron Mott of NBC.Captain of the team for discussion Joe Redmond said Pierson had grown more and more in recent weeks, and the target of his wrath was librarian of the coach and the school of debate Tracy Murphy."Speech and debate was his life and the fact that it was not had crushed a bit and made him very tense and angry" Redmond told NBC News."Karl and Murphy did not get along and that was communicated to a death threat."It tried to help him and not get," Redmond added. "No one was able to reach him. At the end of the day, that's what happened."Pierson appeared at the school at noon on Friday with a shotgun, ammunition attached to his chest, a machete and Molotov cocktails - and went to the library.Alerted to the threat, Murphy left the building, police praised as a move to attract Pierson tactical out.Pierson fired a round through a corridor and then fired to Claire, who just sitting with a close friend. He committed suicide as a security officer closed in on him, police said."His intention was evil and his evil was to harm several individuals," said the sheriff.Redmond said that he was trying to reconcile the crime in cold blood with the teenager who knew."Is unjustifiable what he did," he said."The Karl who knew he was a good person, but obviously the Karl who came to the school on Friday was not."Murphy was not injured. A statement of the Littleton public schools "asked asked that we share his and the concern of his family for all the victims of this tragedy."Meanwhile, the Arapahoe students pray for Claire, who was described as outgoing, athletic and an excellent student. She loves horses and recently placed second in equestrian competition, according to The Denver Post,A neighbor said that Claire newspaper is also the best babysitter in the community."It was our 5 years of age," said a man. "She was very dear. I think that she wanted to go to the infirmary - I know that she had been accepted already a number of schools already. "Fellow Avery Griggs, a second year student, student said that he is "one of the best people I met at Arapahoe.""It is amazing and so sweet," Avery told the Post.Friends and admirers written prayers on Twitter, and some students raise money to help pay his medical expenses."I feel like it will make us a stronger class and the school as a whole," Chris Davis, a senior from Arapahoe which helped organize fundraising efforts.This story was originally posted on Sunday, December 15, 2013 9:10 PM EST

Colorado school gunman targeted debate team coach

  Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, wounded a student Friday at a Colorado high school before shooting himself, authorities said.By M. Alex Johnson and Daniella Silva, NBC NewsThe 18-year-old gunman who wounded a fellow student at a Colorado school before taking his own life Friday was described as a bright, politically opinionated young man who had a beef with the school’s librarian, who had kicked him off the debate team.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the gunman as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Authorities said he entered the school about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET) looking for a specific teacher with whom he'd had an earlier confrontation.But students who witnessed the attack later clarified that it was the school librarian and debate team coach, identified as Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver, who was the target of Pierson's rage.Steve Miles is an English teacher who taught Pierson as a freshman, told the Associated Press that Pierson had recently been cut from the debate team, but he didn't know why. Authorities, who were expected to provide additional information on the attack, which ended with Pierson dead by his own hand and an unidentified female student critically wounded, at a news conference sheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET.At a briefing on Friday, Robinson said that when the educator learned of the threat, he immediately tried to lure Pierson away from other students by leaving the building."It was very tactical for the teacher, for him to remove himself from the school," Robinson said.Murphy escaped unharmed, KUSA reported, and was escorted by an Arapahoe County deputy on Friday night to pick up a few belongings as police investigated a possible motive.  "'Revenge' is the word that I chose," Robinson told reporters. "This is where our initial investigation is taking us. We know that there was some controversy between the student suspect and the teacher."Pierson shot a 15-year-old girl before using the same shotgun to kill himself, Robinson said. The girl, who wasn't identified, was in critical condition Friday night, Littleton Adventist Hospital said.Madison Berry, a senior at the school, said she had taken classes with Pierson.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself."He was very outspoken — always involved with class discussion," she said. "So it was kind of odd to see that he was the one who did this."Abbey Skoda, a junior, told The Denver Post: "He had very strong beliefs about gun laws and stuff. I also heard he was bullied a lot."Neighbors said Pierson was a nice, quiet teen who lived with a nice, quiet family in a nice, quiet neighborhood."They were one of the first (families) to introduce themselves when we moved into the neighborhood" about five years ago, Jo VanDeWege, a neighbor, told NBC station KUSA of Denver.Pierson "introduced himself and his sister, and they were all very sweet and seemed very cheerful. So this has been quite upsetting," she said.Diane Shea, a neighbor, agreed, telling the Post,  "They're just a normal middle-class family, like many of the families around here." Pierson's parents divorced in 2011, and he was believed to have lived with his mother, Robinson said late Friday. Authorities were investigating four locations: the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home, he said.Pierson's mother, a school system employee, was out of town caring for a sick relative, neighbors and investigators said.Watch World News videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:12 PM EST

Gunman kills self at Colorado high school; second student critically wounded

 An army of police officers responded and terrified parents rushed to the scene after a student entered Arapahoe High School in Colorado and shot two students, authorities said. NBC's Tom Costello reports. By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC NewsA quick-thinking educator may have saved other lives Friday by trying to lure a student brandishing a shotgun away from teenagers at a Colorado high school, where the gunman wounded a fellow student before killing himself, authorities said.The injured student, a 15-year-old girl, was critically wounded and was in surgery after the gunman shot her at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said initial reports that the student confronted the gunman turned out not to be true.A second student initially believed to have been wounded turned out only to have been splattered with some of the girl's blood, Robinson said at a news briefing late Friday.The shooter, identified as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a student at the school, appeared to be seeking revenge against a specific school staff member after an earlier confrontation, Robinson said. He said Pierson was looking for the educator by name when the incident began about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET).The staff member was identified as school librarian and debate team coach Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver. Authorities initially described him as a teacher. "The teacher exited the school immediately, which was, in my opinion, the most important tactical decision that could have been made," Robinson said. "I believe it was a wise tactical decision to remove himself from the school so maybe the threat went toward him rather than the school."An army of officers responded, having dramatically changed their standing orders after the deaths of 12 students and a teacher 14 years ago at Columbine High School — just about 10 miles away. Instead of waiting for backup, they rushed in immediately.They found Pierson in a classroom about 20 minutes after they began their search, Robinson said. He said investigators knew his identity and were talking to his family, even as his body remained inside the school Friday night. Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself.Robinson said two devices similar to Molotov cocktails were also found in the building, one of which created a cloud of smoke and the other of which was disarmed. As darkness fell, SWAT officers with dogs were still at the school.Meanwhile, police, sheriff's deputies and agents of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives barreled into a home about 4 miles from the school. No one appeared to be home, a neighbor said."An ATF agent said we should stay in the house," she told NBC station KUSA of Denver. "I didn't ask any questions."Robinson said late Friday that authorities were investigating four locations:  the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home. His parents divorced in 2011.Related: Colorado school gunman Karl Pierson seen as bright and passionate about politicsA janitor first spotted the gunman and alerted authorities. The man, who said he wanted to be identified only as Fabian, said the gunman was running side to side, kind of military style.""I looked to see if there was a gun," Fabian told KUSA. "It was a shotgun.""When he went into the library, he said, 'Where is Murphy?'" Fabian said. Robinson confirmed that the gunman was armed with a shotgun.Students described a scene of terror when the shooting started."I heard three shots, and then the school went into lockdown," Camden Flinders, 14, a freshman, told NBC News. "I saw the blood in the study center and in the gym. We could see blood on the floor. ..."We went on lockdown for about 20 to 30 minutes. There was big line of police and blood splatters by the gym and the study center," he said.Parents were being asked to gather at nearby schools and churches, the sheriff's office said. They dropped whatever they were doing to rush to the scene — one was seen in full medical scrubs, as though he had just raced out of a doctor's office, KUSA reported.An Arapahoe High School student tells NBC station KUSA she texted her parents a message she never wanted to have to send them.Camden's father, Marcus Flinders, was working at an area Latter-day Saints temple when he got the news from a fellow congregant. "I broke down. I thought my son was one of the ones who was injured," he said. "I was pretty much crying. It was really traumatic."'A traumatic situation'Authorities said that while they had no indication of a second shooter, they proceeded as though there might have been one as a matter of caution. Students were led out of the building with their arms in the air, some of them being patted down by police."The kids have been through a traumatic situation," Robinson said. "We need to ensure that anyone we evacuate isn't part of our problem. We're doing the evacuation slowly and deliberately."President Barack Obama was briefed about the shooting, White House officials said. Arapahoe High School, with 2,000 students, is an affluent suburb of Denver in the same county where James Eagan Holmes is accused of having killed 12 people in a movie theater in the town of Aurora last year.Asked whether the shooting might have some connection to Saturday's anniversary of the deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Robinson replied simply, "No."Tom Costello, Pete Williams, Christopher Essner, Azhar Fateh, John Cheang, Simon Moya-Smith, Geoff Tofield, Liza Torres and Daniella Silva of NBC News contributed to this report.Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:29 PM EST

Colorado school gunman targeted debate team coach who cut him

   Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, wounded a student Friday at a Colorado high school before shooting himself, authorities said.By M. Alex Johnson and Daniella Silva, NBC NewsThe 18-year-old gunman who wounded a fellow student at a Colorado school before taking his own life Friday was described as a bright, politically opinionated young man who had a beef with the school’s librarian, who had kicked him off the debate team.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identified the gunman as Karl Halverson Pierson, 18, a senior at Arapahoe High School in Centennial. Authorities said he entered the school about 12:33 p.m. (2:33 p.m. ET) looking for a specific teacher with whom he'd had an earlier confrontation.But students who witnessed the attack later clarified that it was the school librarian and debate team coach, identified as Tracy Murphy by NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver, who was the target of Pierson's rage.Steve Miles is an English teacher who taught Pierson as a freshman, told the Associated Press that Pierson had recently been cut from the debate team, but he didn't know why. Authorities, who were expected to provide additional information on the attack, which ended with Pierson dead by his own hand and an unidentified female student critically wounded, at a news conference sheduled for 5:15 p.m. ET.At a briefing on Friday, Robinson said that when the educator learned of the threat, he immediately tried to lure Pierson away from other students by leaving the building."It was very tactical for the teacher, for him to remove himself from the school," Robinson said.Murphy escaped unharmed, KUSA reported, and was escorted by an Arapahoe County deputy on Friday night to pick up a few belongings as police investigated a possible motive.  "'Revenge' is the word that I chose," Robinson told reporters. "This is where our initial investigation is taking us. We know that there was some controversy between the student suspect and the teacher."Pierson shot a 15-year-old girl before using the same shotgun to kill himself, Robinson said. The girl, who wasn't identified, was in critical condition Friday night, Littleton Adventist Hospital said.Madison Berry, a senior at the school, said she had taken classes with Pierson.Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson identifies the teenager who shot a fellow student at Arapahoe High School before killing himself."He was very outspoken — always involved with class discussion," she said. "So it was kind of odd to see that he was the one who did this."Abbey Skoda, a junior, told The Denver Post: "He had very strong beliefs about gun laws and stuff. I also heard he was bullied a lot."Neighbors said Pierson was a nice, quiet teen who lived with a nice, quiet family in a nice, quiet neighborhood."They were one of the first (families) to introduce themselves when we moved into the neighborhood" about five years ago, Jo VanDeWege, a neighbor, told NBC station KUSA of Denver.Pierson "introduced himself and his sister, and they were all very sweet and seemed very cheerful. So this has been quite upsetting," she said.Diane Shea, a neighbor, agreed, telling the Post,  "They're just a normal middle-class family, like many of the families around here." Pierson's parents divorced in 2011, and he was believed to have lived with his mother, Robinson said late Friday. Authorities were investigating four locations: the school, Pierson's car, his mother's home and his father's home, he said.Pierson's mother, a school system employee, was out of town caring for a sick relative, neighbors and investigators said.Watch World News videos on NBCNews.comThis story was originally published on Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:12 PM EST

Healthy school lunch ideas! #1.

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to show you a couple of ideas for healthy school lunch! A healthy school lunch doesn't have to be boring! It can be fun! These two are super delicious and fun, but also are nutritious and balanced to spend the day!  I like to pack my lunch the night before to save time in the morning. Early in the morning it makes much less hectic! Even if your not in school, can also use ideas for work or just a busy day when you need to pack a few snacks!For this first idea of lunch, I wanted to recreate two favorite campaign my son! A classic Turkey,

cheese and "ants on a log". It is a perfect balance of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Is a simple wrap do! It is also very easy to eat on the go! 1 Ezekiel sprouted tortillas of grain Natural Turkey 1 laughing cow light creamy Swiss wedge (only 35 calories a wedge!)
No Sticky Fingers "Ants on a log": I wanted to make these much less complicated, so instead of peanut butter and raisins in the celery and suitcases, had already made in a peanut butter, raisins and cinnamon sauce! Do not hesitate to replace the raisins with nuts, coconut, or dark chocolate chips! 2 stalks celery1 tablespoon peanut butter 1 tablespoon raisins and a dash of cinnamon. Now, pick it up and enjoy! Mine paired with a mini Apple Pie Lara Bar for a snack mid morning! The mini size is sufficient to overcome that third period before lunch. 2. Sweet & savory and vegetarian!The second lunch idea something a little more "luxury" guess! I wanted to include a vegetarian option which remains full of protein! Cranberries, feta cheese, walnut and quinoa salad a salad of white beans paired with a piece of a fruit is a delicious sweet and savory combo! Cranberry, Walnut & Quinoa Feta salad: I only experimented with this combo of quinoa recently and it is my new favorite! Quinoa is a great option instead of rice because it is a good source of healthy carbohydrates, full of protein and gluten-free. In addition the walnuts a great source of healthy fats, omega-3-rich, that help your brain stay ocused! 1 serving of cheese feta from the tablespoon of quinoa 1/4 cup blueberries2 tablespoon walnuts2is a pre made salad of beans I bought in the fresh market, but it is very easy to make at home too! Beans are another great source of vegetarian protein!Jumbo white beans cherry red tomatoesroasted peppergreen non light vinaigrette dressing
By the way, my lunchbox mola "staying" Vera Bradley in the printing of "Lilly Bell". I have, and I love! It has so much room to keep any size lunch containers/tupperware! I have always had problems fitting due to the usual lunch box lunches. I highly recommend this!  I hope this gave you some new ideas to change their school lunch. Stay happy and healthy and have a good start to the school!