STUDENTS of the Vauxhall High School, located in a volatile section of Windward Road in the eastern section of the capital city, Kingston, yesterday denounced crime and violence, and called for peace across Jamaica during a Peace Day concert at the institution.

Vauxhall’s principal, Angela Chaplin, said her school was chosen to host the concert, hosted by Peace and Love in Schools (PALS) Jamaica, in collaboration with the security ministry’s Community Security Initiative, because it is “a safe school”.

Last year, the school completed a perimeter fence that was started by the Jamaica Defence Force after men, allegedly from a nearby community, gained easy access to the compound and raped a female student.

But yesterday, Chaplin said he was delighted that the community decided to unite against the crime and violence in the area that has in the past spilled over into the school, which has 16,000 students on roll. “.Now that we have our perimeter wall we don’t have that problem anymore,” said the school principal.

In the meantime, Lieutenant Colonel Oral Khan, the chairman of the Safe Schools Secretariat, said he believed that the school was well on its way to becoming violence-free.

He also commended the neighbouring community called Brown’s Town, for implementing a programme aimed at eliminating violence in the area.

“Without the support of the community around us, all the school’s efforts would be futile,” said Khan. “We want to just move forward in unity and peace,” he said.

Andrew Holness, Opposition spokesman on education, also commended the school’s effort to promote peace.

“The best place for us to start working for peace is in schools,” Holness said. “Jamaica seems to be in a paranormal state of conflict and for us to break that you first need to understand the concept of peace,” he said.

Guest speaker Reverend Al Miller, president of Whole Life Ministries and pastor of Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston, using a cricket analogy, told the students that in order to “bat for peace, you have to pad up with love”.

“We have to love one another, care for one another and be kind to one another,” said Miller. “To win in the peace game, you have to pad up with love…If you nuh pad up with love you can’t defend yuh wicket.”

Some students were optimistic that the Peace Day celebrations would have some impact on the school.

“I think that Peace Day is making a difference because we have students who have been influenced by violence and so Peace Day encourages them to share love and peace,” said 14 year-old Vanessa Carby, a grade eight student.

At least one student, however, did not believe Peace Day activities made a difference. “I don’t think Peace Day make a difference because every year nothing change, them (the gunmen) still killing people,” said a female student, who refused to give her name.

The peace concert saw performances from Fab 5, Ashe, Students from Camperdown High School and folklorist Amina Blackwood Meeks.