When an individual watches yet another school shooting recounted on the news, it causes heartache and sympathy. But the repercussions go much deeper when you are a high school student. As a student, watching other students face life-threatening situations at school, a place intended for safety and solace, causes a significant amount of stress as students worry about the possibility of having their own lives at risk. 

The unfortunate reality is that these concerns will only continue to grow as school shooting statistics continue to rack up to 390,000 injuries each year. Consequently, as a community, we need to be aware of mental health issues, especially in adolescents. School shootings can have a major consequence on a child’s mentality while attending school, causing a widespread range of effects, including anxiety, depression, and especially Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

Ensuring that we have a safe environment at school is urgent. Even though West High has not faced a school shooting, we still need to take action to keep everyone engaged and secure; the first step is starting at a common source of these life-threatening, terrifying encounters: mental health.  

As a community, we must stay vigilant and be on the lookout for signs of poor mental health. It is important that all individuals feel supported; it’s as easy as asking them if they are okay and helping them cope through tough situations.

“The way I look at it, a lot of [shootings] could have been prevented. Ensuring that certain individuals are mentally well and paying closer attention to them could [assist] prevention. I also believe there’s some type of reform that could help these situations, but as of right now, I try to do everything I can to keep our students and staff safe,” Officer Matt Paubel said.

Furthermore, teenagers are still trying to understand their identity and their contributions to society. Encountering violence at such a young age can affect this growth and lead to a more negative understanding of the world. Being able to voice your problems to make a change plays a big part in growing up as a teen. 

“I’m more concerned with protection and security measures. I want to make sure that everyone has a good place to go when they need help, so that they don’t do anything harmful. I feel that we should all feel protected at school and not have to worry about the mental trauma of these shootings,” freshman Julia Adams said. 

School shootings can happen for various reasons, but one of the most common reasons is mental health-related issues, which contribute to roughly 20% of mass shootings. These mental health issues can escalate disorders such as depression, which can lead to students feeling more peer pressure and loneliness. Another area that can escalate from mental health issues is bullying. Bullying has caused many children to go into states of depression and not want to attend school.

“Kids don’t deserve to have to feel any type of hurtful feelings because these can lead to shootings, and it is not okay how many lives are being taken away from these tragic events. I feel sad that many of us may feel that way, but that is why I believe that, as a community, we need to make sure we are protected,” freshman Sanjana Daggubati said.

Many students have felt hopelessness and despondency because of the hectic high school environment. I have felt this way many times throughout high school; there are times when I feel rushed, or I feel like I am not giving enough effort. Having negative feelings all the time can develop into depression, a cycle I have dealt with. At that time, I didn’t think through my thoughts and feelings, which also hurt my physical health, because I wasn’t in the right mindset. Students should know that it is okay to feel down at times, but just giving up isn’t going to help in the long run. Taking care of yourself and your mental well-being, especially while in high school, is crucial. Advocating for yourself can have such a strong outcome in your mentality and help you feel that you are not alone. 

“Being in extracurricular activities, I have felt a lot of pressure balancing school and my sport. I feel like this problem of feeling stressed out can easily be fixed by making teens feel like they are doing enough; not pressuring them, [but allowing them to understand that they are doing their best,” sophomore Joe Wild said.

Ultimately, school shootings have had a significant impact on many individuals’ lives, and sadly, they continue to escalate.  In light of this issue, at West High, it’s important to help all students understand that they have a support system to lean on; students should not have to worry about not being good enough or not giving enough. And as students, the most important thing we can do is not be afraid to voice our opinions and try our hardest to change our environment to make it a safer place for us and younger generations. 

 “I believe that students can have a voice when it comes to advocating for themselves and their specific needs,” Hrabak said. “We can communicate with teachers and administrators by making sure that we are in a safer place and environment. It can help have a bigger impact on our mental health as well.”