On Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, Conn., Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Six years later, this violence has continued. In January alone, there were 14 school shootings across the United States. There have been many different causes to this rise in violence. Freshman Sophia Tomasello believes that psychological issues could be a contributing factor.

“I think the shooters are troubled or they have problems going on in their lives and they don’t really feel like they have anyone to talk to or anyone to help them work it out in a way that’s not so violent,” Tomasello said.

Tomasello also feels that if people are given the right treatment and are shown they can get help, it could minimize the violence in society. She believes one way to get the word out and show people that they aren’t alone in dealing with issues is through the media. Some students believe mass media can have its negatives, but Tomasello believes it can be used positively.

“When the media puts it [the stories] out there, it brings attention to the problem and then people will try to solve the problem instead of ignoring that it’s a problem in the first place,” Tomasello said.

Some students wonder what would happen if our school was under threat. Junior Sara Lewandowski does not have much confidence in the school security system. She believes that if  something were to happen, ultimately it would not end well.

“I think they would take all the precautions necessary to try to keep us safe but ultimately, I think it would turn into a tragic event,” Lewandowski said.

Most students have never experienced a horrific event like what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lewandowski can remember when she first heard about what happened.

“I just remember being totally devastated and I thought about how awful it is that there are people out there who can turn these guns on innocent children,” Lewandowski said.

Growing up, Social and Emotional Learning Specialist Elizabeth Gumbis never thought a school shooting could or would ever happen, but now she feels they are much more common, and most kids do not realize that it hasn’t always been this way. Gumbis believes that this disconnect has had a negative effect on the kids of today.

“My concern is that students growing up today think, ‘Well this is just how the world is,’ when it doesn’t have to be that way,” Gumbis said.