Pepper spray was the last thing that a group of high school girls would think to purchase in order to protect themselves from the dangerous people in and around their community.

The self defense class conducted by Sergeant Chris Rankin, on January 16, taught Rosebuds that sometimes hot, burning spray might be an option to save their lives.Although, it wasn’t just a lesson on how to protect themselves, but a positive experience for everyone that attended.

“I think the meeting went really well, and I had a lot of people come up and tell me how much they liked it,” Rosebud president Amy McCoy said. “We were all kind of nervous of how it would turn out.”

It took Rankin a few minutes to get used to a mass of girls surrounding him. Questions were asked such as “What do I do if…or what could happen to me if..?”
The mood quickly changed as everyone started to relax.

“Sergeant Rankin started opening up and making jokes which really made the atmosphere seem more comfortable for everyone,” McCoy said.

In the past, they had focused on martial arts defense. Vice president Macy Shirley thought having a police officer teach the class would give them some practical safety pointers.

“I thought it would be a good idea to have a police officer come this year,” Shirley said. “I know Sergeant Rankin from my church. I wanted him to tell us some precautions we could take as far as safety goes. Everyday things.”