Four years ago, the nation was heartbroken and torn when an elementary school fell victim to a mass shooter. 27 people lost their lives that day-- 20 students and seven adults, one being his mother. As a junior in high school, I remember reading about the Columbine and Northern Illinois shootings and thinking, "My goodness what could ever bring someone to do something like this?" However, this event was a bit different then the two.
Typically, school shootings are extremely personal and vengeful. A large percentage of school shooters were bullied, and this drastic act of violence is there way of repaying their bullies. Horrible as it is, bullying is 100% preventable.
Jodi Picoult's "Nineteen Minutes" was a book I read as a freshman in high school, and I would recommend it to everyone at that age. This book speaks about a young boy and girl, who were brought together by the friendship of their mothers; there was a falling out which led to the children no longer seeing each other. The boy, Peter, grew up "unpopular" and bullied by others. Where as Josie fell to peer pressure and hangs out with, and dates, Peter's bullies. Peter decides one day that he's endured enough abuse and shoots up his school, and in a matter of 19 minutes lives are drastically changed.
As I stated above, the Sandy Hook shooting was a completely different breed of massacre. The shooter, whose name I refuse to remember, attended Sandy Hook Elementary only briefly before his parents sent him to a private grade school. The twenty children he killed did not bully him; he was not drunk; he was not high; he had no signs of any tumors or masses. No one knows quite why he did what he did, and that's what is still hanging over our heads four years later.
This PSA that has been released speaks loudly. Although this is not how this particular mass shooting went down, it is still informative. I have watched it every day at least twice since it broke out. When I first watched this, I had no idea what it was referring to. I was so invested in Evan's could-be romance that I, a person who pays attention to every detail, didn't notice the signs of Evan's classmate.
Sometimes, all it takes is a smile to help someone, but sometimes the damage is already too far gone to repair. There's no hurt in trying.
