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Ask any cop and he’ll tell you, most citizens obey the law. The same for students: most behave and are good kids. The majority of Lowell students are diverse, talented, and energetic young people who accept each other’s differences and behave well at school and sporting events. Yet, my first reaction to Tuesday’s front-page Sun article about Lowell kids fighting on YouTube was horror and dismay that our society had truly reached a new low. Schoolyard brawling, unfortunately, goes back centuries and is not a new phenomenon. Technology enables this brutality to be shared easily with the wider community and brings the viciousness into our homes. Fighting is not taken lightly in Lowell as education leaders work with police to identify culprits and stop them. In our schools, we have extensive policies to thwart bullying in all forms because this behavior is absolutely not acceptable. Even knowing that, the story disturbed me and I needed a perspective check, so yesterday I attended the Lincoln Elementary School’s annual show, and I wasn’t disappointed. Those beautiful, singing, dancing fourth graders reminded me who are children are. They performed wonderful skits they had researched about the environment as well as songs amid a colorful set they designed under the leadership of director and art teacher Erin Noonan. The songs were uplifting, snappy, and educational, with the focus on everyone doing their part to save the environment, and the kids were great.

Of course we also have troubled students, like any community, and we do not ignore the need to address these issues (which is one of our strengths), but we must also remember that the majority of our youngsters are good kids, working hard to learn and contribute to the world around them. On a final note, here are some songs from the Lincoln School show: Driving Miss Lazy “Grab a bike or take a hike, call somebody up you like, you know it’s the right thing to do,” or Turn It Off! “Yeah, turn it off when you brush, it’s a five gallon rush, turn it off (running water), turn it off (save the power), turn it off. Yeah, catch the lights and tv, don’t forget the cd, turn it off!” and It’s Our World “It’s our world and we’ll do what we can to be part of the plan…” These horrible fight videos involve a smaller number of troubled teens and must be dealt with; they do not, however, represent the majority of our kids.

If you’re around this weekend, you’ll want to attend a  meeting with Senator John Kerry and Representative Niki Tsongas on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 9 a.m. at Middlesex Community College’s Federal Building, 33 Kearney Square in Lowell. State Senator Steve Panagiotakos, chair of ways and means, will also be there along with civic, business and labor leaders. The purpose of the meeting is to share information, and discuss jobs, the Merrimack Valley, and ways to invigorate the economy. Attend this public meeting to learn firsthand from people making decisions that will impact our recovery rate, and take the opportunity to have your concerns and ideas heard.