Stop School Tragedies

Note: The next few weeks will feature a series of student essays on various topics. Students chose their own issues to investigate.

A twenty-seven year old at Northern Illinois University kills five and himself. A six-teen year old is shot in the leg over music. This is pathetic: what has American youth come to?

There are many horrific school shootings in U.S. history. According to U.S. News, there there were eleven school shootings in 2007, with one of the worst at Virginia Tech University where twenty-eight students and five faculty members were killed. This is known as the worst school shooting in U.S. history. In Memphis, a high school senior was shot by a sophomore; after the shooting he handed the gun to a coach and said, “It’s over now.” Weeks later, a twenty-four year old went on a shooting spree at a church in Colorado Springs, killing four and himself. The shooter said he “hated Christians”.

What causes these horrible tragedies? An article form bullyingstatistics.org states that bullying is a major reason for school-related deaths. There are many types of bullying that can cause this. Emotional bullying is the most common, which is name calling or teasing. Physical bullying is pushing, punching, etc. According to the National Center for Education, statistics show that nearly a third of all students 12-18 have been bullied at school. Most kids are picked on because of their race, religion, disability, or sexual preference.

There are many different ways school shootings can be stopped. School uniforms could be used to stop kids from picking on each other’s clothing. A guidance counselor, teacher, or helpful adult could be a great person to talk to if someone was bothering or teasing someone in any way.

School is a place to learn, develop, make friends, and have fun. Kids getting killed at school is unacceptable. School shootings can be stopped; it is just a matter of who is willing to step up and stop it.

-Brody Rocque