Two sixth-graders were awarded medals by Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos on Thursday evening for their recent roles in hindering dangerous activities involving guns at their school in Sunnyside Unified School District.
βThese two young ladies are heroes in my eyes,β said Nanos, addressing more than 20 school staffers, parents and family members who gathered to witness the ceremony at the sheriffβs headquarters.
βWe talk so much about school safety in todayβs world, and about if you βsee something, say something,β and often times we fail to recognize those who do the right thing,β he added.
In two consecutive incidents in early September, Maya Ruiz and Faith Carrillo, students at Los NiΓ±os Elementary School, informed the schoolβs authorities when they realized one of their fellow students was carrying guns.
Sheriff Chris Nanos talks with Faith Carrillo, middle, and Maya Angelique Ruiz Thursday after rewarding them with the Sheriffβs Citizen Medal for quickly reporting a safety threats at their school when a student had a gun on campus.
The first incident took place Sept. 4, when Maya saw a firearm in the backpack of a fellow student who was showing it to their friends. She went to Principal Ted βT.J.β Rodriquez and let him know. Authorities searched the studentβs bag and found a handgun.
βI feel proud of myself. I feel happy and excited that Iβm getting rewarded for what I did,β Maya said after being presented with the medal by Nanos.
The second incident took place just two days later, on Sept. 6, when Faith read a social media post that portrayed a student loading what appeared to be a handgun into their backpack. She immediately informed Assistant Vice Principal Kenneth Skeggs. Authorities then were able to isolate the student, recover the weapon and make an arrest.
ββSee something, say something,β itβs always important to do that,β Faith said.
Mayaβs mother, Gabriela Ruiz, who was at the ceremony, talked about how proud she was of her daughter for what she did, but at the same time, how scared she was that situations like these were taking place so close to them.
βIβm glad she knows right from wrong and that she spoke up about it, thought about her safety and her classmatesβ safety even though that student didnβt bring it to harm other students,β said Gabriela Ruiz. βBut what if, you know? With everything going on, itβs scary out there. But Iβm really proud of her that she doesnβt take all this negativity from other students in a bad way.β
Principal Rodriquez, present at the ceremony to support his students, said reliable protocols and processes in their school system helped them quickly maneuver in both situations.
βSocial media has a lot (to do) with making these threats and making it spread so rapidly. Itβs easy to do a click, and I donβt think sometimes the students realize the effect theyβre having on people,β he said. βWhatβs happening nationwide, itβs scary and itβs an added layer to the positions that we have.β
The best strategy moving forward is building relationships with the students, Rodriquez said. The only way the students will βsay something if they see something,β he said, is if they have confidence and trust in an adult on campus they feel safe with.
