Father Of Sandy Hook Shooting Victim To Speak At Northeast High

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Sandy Hook Promise, the leading violence prevention organization in the country, is encouraging students around the nation to speak up when they witness threats of violence by hosting the Fourth Annual Say Something Week Feb. 25 to March 1.

On Thursday, Feb. 28, Mark Barden, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and father of Daniel who was lost to gun violence at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 will visit Northeast High School in St. Petersburg to speak to students.

Barden was a professional musician raising three children with his wife, Jackie, when the shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012.

"Daniel was our youngest and an absolute light of happiness and joy," said Barden. "Daniel’s sense of awareness, empathy and tenderness transcended his seven years in a way that prompted many to refer to him as an old soul. In school, Daniel earned the reputation as the sweet, little boy who would ask to sit with someone who was sitting alone or having a bad day."

In fact, Barden said, the parents of some of Daniel’s kindergarten classmates requested that their children be placed with Daniel again in first grade.

"My family had what we all considered an idyllic existence and an ideal life," Barden said. "And it all changed on the morning of Dec. 14th 2012, when a gunman wielding an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, equipped with 30-round magazines, shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary school and killed six educators and 20 first-grade children. One of those children was my sweet, precious Daniel. In an instant, the little boy who danced around our house, rescued worms from the sun and held doors for strangers was gone forever."

The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise was started by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the mass shooting. SHP is focused on preventing gun violence (and other forms of violence and victimization) before it happens by educating and mobilizing youth and adults on mental health and wellness programs that identify, intervene and help at-risk individuals.

"I have subsequently made it my life’s work to try to identify realistic, sustainable solutions and ultimately save other families from living this never-ending pain," said Barden.

Since its inception, Sandy Hook Promise has educated more than 5.5 million youths and adults in all 50 states with its Know the Signs Programs on mental health and wellness, identification of at-risk behaviors and how to take action and get help before a situation escalates.

Barden will speak to students at Northeast High School, 5500 16th St. N., St. Petersburg, starting at 8 a.m. on identifying signs of violence, self-inflicted or otherwise. Research shows that four out of five perpetrators of school shootings have shared their plans with another person prior to the attack and 70 percent of suicide victims warn of their intentions to others.

With thousands of schools registered to receive the free Say Something Program provided by Sandy Hook Promise, which includes training for teachers and activities for school communities, the fourth annual Say Something Call-to-Action Week is designed to save lives and prevent the escalation of violence, said Barden.

During the Say Something Call-to-Action Week, students across the county in grades six to 12 will learn how to recognize the warning signs of violence and self-harm, including bullying, depression, eating disorders, and substance, physical or sexual abuse and how to share any observed signs with a trusted adult.

For more information, click here.

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)