Area ministers and church members gather last Saturday outside Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in the East End to pray for students, teachers, administrators and all employees of Richmond Public Schools and other area school districts. The effort was led by Bishop Darryl Husband, senior pastor of Mount Olivet Church in Church Hill, who asked Richmonders to gather at the flag poles of their nearby schools and recreation centers to pray during the weekend. The effort was prompted by the rash of problems nationally that children face — from school shootings to abuse, abduction, trafficking and addiction.

The prayer circle asked for an outpouring of blessings on children — for their safety, purpose, focus and faith. Left, Ameia Cosby, 8, a third-grader at Ginter Park Elementary School in North Side, joins the circle with family members.