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Stop the violence now

As a senior at Narrowsburg Central School, I have this feeling of accomplishment for having made it through 13 years of school. I feel good about it, and am happy that my friends have accomplished this with me.

Because of the recent shootings in Littleton, Colorado, I now ask myself what would happen if someone came into my school and began shooting my friends and classmates? I think of the students that would not accomplish this step in life. They are robbed of this. They are robbed of their life. I am left wondering how many other people feel this way. How many people share my point of view that revengeful violence is simply not worth the cost?

Most of the victims of the latest shooting were typical teenagers. Some were making plans for college. Others were learning to play the guitar, studying to get a driver’s license or working to save up enough money for a car. These students had much in common with every other high school student in the United States. Then their classmates walked in and took away their dreams, memories, thoughts, and accomplishments. They killed 13 people: 12 students and one teacher.

These two students obviously had no respect for human life. They had no respect for their fellow humans. But if this isn’t bad enough, there are now teenagers all over the country trying to copy this tragedy.

As I was eating dinner Monday night, I saw a 30-second news blip on television about two Pennsylvania schools that were evacuated because of bomb threats. This is happening all over this country at an alarming rate since the Columbine shooting. Students are now making bomb threats and wearing trench coats just to spite this tragedy. They are bringing guns into school to try to scare or intimidate people.

I ask the question: what possesses someone to do this? Why would anyone want to copy or mock this sick and horrifying tragedy? Do they look for the thrill? Do they look for the attention, or is it for some unknown reason? But any reason is just plain stupid. Nothing is so bad to warrant threatening or killing fellow classmates. Nothing!

I make a plea to anyone who is considering any act of school violence: stop. Think about it for a few minutes or hours and ask yourself: is it worth it? Is it worth hurting your fellow classmates and your whole school? Is it worth inflicting your classmates’ parents with the painful experience of losing a child? Is it worth the trouble and sadness that would follow you? Think about all of the repercussions that arise from this action. I hope that you see that this form of retribution is not worth it.

I am designing a web site as both a memorial for the teacher and students who were killed, but also as an awareness page. I welcome people to e-mail me their thoughts, opinions, or feelings about this. You can email me at trr@ezaccess.net and then visit my web site at http://www.orangecountysecurity.com/darkerra/schoolviolence.html

Guest editorial by Harry Swinnes

12th Grade, NCS