2008 New York State Center for School Safety
New York State Center for School Safety
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Director's Message
September 2009
Dear Colleagues,
In July 2009, Secretary Napolitano announced that there would be a 60 day, bipartisan review of the color codes that had been put in place in 2002 to alert the public of impending terrorist activities. The five color codes go from green, signaling a low level of threat, to red for a severe threat. Since its inception, the code levels have changed 16 times and never have gone to blue (guarded) or green (low risk). Primarily, the codes have been yellow (elevated risk) or orange (high risk). Red has only been in place one time since the inception of the code system.
This started a conversation with colleagues one day, about the fact that life is essentially yellow or orange, in that every day we face inherent "risks" associated with daily living. We are generally not living in a "red" zone of extreme terror, or a "green" zone free of all potential harm. How we chose to look at life and live each day, however, is often marked by whether we see life as "red", "orange" or "green". If we continually, as Winnie-the-Pooh's friend Eeyore, live in fear of life itself, we are in the red zone. Our fear can determine the nature of our interaction with others and the choices we make each day as we go forth. Living orange may still put considerable restraints on us, as we live with the continual fear of "the other," the person, idea or thought that is different from ours. Yellow may imply we take some consideration of risk in our day to day interactions, but essentially progress and have good relations with others in our environment. While we may be seen as foolhardy to live green, oblivious to any concern, it can at times allow us to be free from preconceived ideas and constraints in our relationships, and with our ability to chose to explore and be adventurous - even if that adventure only takes us next door to spend time with someone we previously haven't known.
So as the Executive Director of a state school safety center, I am well aware of the need to take reasonable cautions in our actions each day. However, we cannot allow ourselves to place too many barriers in front of us so we are not actually LIVING life but just existing day in and day out. So my new motto is "Life is orange, just deal with it and live green". In other words, life has inherent obstacles and risks which we can learn to deal with and manage in appropriate ways, so we can actually LIVE each day and see the potential for green.
Let's think about how we can "live green" in our daily interactions with children in our lives, both in school, afterschool, and in our communities. Plant the seed (green!), nurture the growth, and behold the experience of life!
Enjoy and appreciate each day,
Mary Grenz Jalloh
Executive Director
In July 2009, Secretary Napolitano announced that there would be a 60 day, bipartisan review of the color codes that had been put in place in 2002 to alert the public of impending terrorist activities. The five color codes go from green, signaling a low level of threat, to red for a severe threat. Since its inception, the code levels have changed 16 times and never have gone to blue (guarded) or green (low risk). Primarily, the codes have been yellow (elevated risk) or orange (high risk). Red has only been in place one time since the inception of the code system.
This started a conversation with colleagues one day, about the fact that life is essentially yellow or orange, in that every day we face inherent "risks" associated with daily living. We are generally not living in a "red" zone of extreme terror, or a "green" zone free of all potential harm. How we chose to look at life and live each day, however, is often marked by whether we see life as "red", "orange" or "green". If we continually, as Winnie-the-Pooh's friend Eeyore, live in fear of life itself, we are in the red zone. Our fear can determine the nature of our interaction with others and the choices we make each day as we go forth. Living orange may still put considerable restraints on us, as we live with the continual fear of "the other," the person, idea or thought that is different from ours. Yellow may imply we take some consideration of risk in our day to day interactions, but essentially progress and have good relations with others in our environment. While we may be seen as foolhardy to live green, oblivious to any concern, it can at times allow us to be free from preconceived ideas and constraints in our relationships, and with our ability to chose to explore and be adventurous - even if that adventure only takes us next door to spend time with someone we previously haven't known.
So as the Executive Director of a state school safety center, I am well aware of the need to take reasonable cautions in our actions each day. However, we cannot allow ourselves to place too many barriers in front of us so we are not actually LIVING life but just existing day in and day out. So my new motto is "Life is orange, just deal with it and live green". In other words, life has inherent obstacles and risks which we can learn to deal with and manage in appropriate ways, so we can actually LIVE each day and see the potential for green.
Let's think about how we can "live green" in our daily interactions with children in our lives, both in school, afterschool, and in our communities. Plant the seed (green!), nurture the growth, and behold the experience of life!
Enjoy and appreciate each day,
Mary Grenz Jalloh
Executive Director