"As we move forward, we didn't want this to be just a name tag," Mansfield City Schools Superintendent Stan Jefferson said. "You've got a name and you say you're going to do something, but you don't do something. Now, here we are with the second phase of the Peace on My Block activity."

Following a successful event held May 16 at Arlin Field for grades K-8, district officials have set a second community get-together for 2-6 p.m. Aug. 13 at Mansfield Senior High School. It will be for high school students.

Community partners offering valuable resources and a number of food trucks will be on hand for what Jefferson is calling a "party." Mascots from Mansfield Senior and the Ohio State University-Mansfield campus will ramp up the fun.

Students can register and pick up their schedules. They also can learn about clubs, athletics, and activities, as well as receive College Credit Plus information.

From 4-5 p.m. in the auditorium, students will hear a presentation about NCAA initial eligibility. A mobile unit from Third Street Family Health Services will provide vaccinations.

Jefferson talked about the need for the previous event.

"The city is hurting from the shootings. Families are hurting," Jefferson said of a number of homicides. "This was our way to take and pick up the initiative. Together with great community partnerships, we were able to do something that was really amazing."

The May 16 event drew more than 2,000 people, including many parents and grandparents. Festivities included bounce houses, food trucks, and fireworks.

"We did things that hadn't been done at Arlin Field in a long time, if ever," the superintendent said.

Peace on My Block started in the spring of 2023 after a spate of gun violence in the city, some of it involving teenagers.

We ACT co-founders Brigitte Coles and Angel Singleton approached Jefferson and former school board member Renda Cline with the idea. Jefferson took it to the Mansfield Schools Employees Association, which quickly got on board.

The union members started wearing red shirts on Wednesdays to promote the movement. Administrators followed suit.

Jefferson took the campaign to Mansfield City Council last August, revealing the Peace on My Block banner, which is in all the district's schools, the board office and at Arlin Field. Todd Hoovler, the district's strategic entrepreneur instructor, and his class made the banners.

Community partnerships are key. Peace on My Block has been endorsed by Richland County Children Services, the local branch of the NAACP and the Mansfield Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, among others. A total of $16,000 was raised for the May 16 event.

The district's website, tygerpride.com, has a link to a pledge people can take in which they promise to reject violence, bullying and discrimination; and will treat everyone as a friend even if they have different views, cultures, faiths and traditions.

"How can we resolve conflicts without being adversarial?" Jefferson asked. "It's OK to disagree. We don't have to be in a situation where we have to bring violence into it."

Coles credits Jefferson and school officials with taking the idea and running with it.

"What started out as something to change what we were seeing in the community is now what people are believing in," said Coles, a spokeswoman for Children Services. "That's what the district has done. They've molded it to fit the needs of their students."

Those students include the ones in Malabar Intermediate School, which houses grades 3-6. Principal Tom Hager headed up twice-monthly meetings with at-risk students and community volunteers.

"We thought that would be a good age group to start," he said, noting there is gang activity even at that level. "It's a struggle because you have to gain trust, but we have a lot of momentum."

The volunteers worked with the kids on de-escalation and job skills. Students learned how to shake hands and tie a tie. They went to a local Bob Evans Restaurant wearing a shirt and tie.

Students also have toured the city police and fire departments. Hager let them know they could attain one of those jobs as young as age 19 through civil service testing.

The year concluded with a family night with dinner, games, and team-building.

Peace on My Block has garnered statewide attention. The Ohio School Board Association ran a story about it in a February publication that was sent to more than 600 school districts around the state.

"The school system has done a great job of carrying this initiative, so much so that it's August, and we haven't really had any violence this summer," Singleton said. "I think the message is getting out there."

Getting the message out is crucial, Jefferson said.

"We want to continue to grow in our community," he said. "For us to be the community we want to be, the schools and the community have to be tied together."