I was in 8th grade when the Sandy Hook Shooting happened in 2012. I'm from Stratford, Connecticut, about half an hour away from Sandy Hook. Before December of 2012 when I told people I was from Connecticut people asked how close I was to New York City. After December 2012 when I said I was from Connecticut the first thing anyone asked me was how close I live to Newtown.
Like many other schools across the country, I joined other members of the Villanova community in a walk out on March 14th to raise awareness to the issue of gun violence in schools. It was an immensely powerful experience. Students and faculty spoke, sharing their concerns and frustrations with our gun laws. One of the students who spoke was also from Connecticut and also lives close to Newtown. He shared his story of that day and I was shocked to hear that it was almost identical to my own.
I was sitting in my 8th grade Language Arts class with my friends. We were having silent reading time like we did every Friday afternoon, everything was perfectly normal. Then, around 1 o'clock, my teacher told us that there had been a shooting in Newtown. We were all shocked. There hadn't been a shooting like this since Columbine in 1999, so no one was used to the idea of a school shooting. We were far enough away that we never went into a lock down, but all computer access was suspended so we had no idea what was going on. Everyone was scared and no one knew what was going to happen.
That following Spring, several unidentified individuals were seen in the woods next to my middle school carrying what looked like assault weapons. We were in lock down for most of the afternoon. At first we thought it was a drill, but my science teacher quickly informed us that the lock down was serious. We all did exactly what we were supposed to. We sat huddled in a corner away from the doors and windows. Eventually they released us and told us that the police had found the suspects and confiscated their weapons, which turned out to only be airsoft guns.
Even though there was no serious danger, everyone was shaken. My teacher sat in front of us for the rest of the class and talked to us about what had happened. News reporters were already parking across the street, waiting to interview students as they left. My teacher said something I will never forget. He told us that no matter what, if we were ever in a situation where there was a serious threat to our lives, he would "do his job and protect his students, no matter what". Teachers like him and Victoria Soto give me hope. Hope that even as the world seems dark and desperate, there will always be the light of bravery and love.
The pain of what happened that day will be something I carry with me for my whole life, a fact that I was reminded of when I heard my classmate speak during the walk out. The purpose of telling my story isn't to illicit pity, it's to remind people of the life-long effects of these devastating events. I wasn't in Newtown when the shooting happened, I was miles away, but everyone in the surrounding area who was old enough to remember will tell you exactly the same thing. We all remember where we were, how we were told, and how we felt when our neighbors up-county were attacked.
I can't begin to imagine what the students in Florida are feeling right now, but there is no doubt that this event will shape the rest of their lives. Hopefully, they will continue being a force to be reckoned with. Five years ago we started saying "Never again", I hope this time we mean it.
