On November 30, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at Oxford High School. Four students were killed, and more students & a teacher were wounded. The on-going increase in school shooting events has led to detrimental repercussions for all of us. As part of our on-going work to understand both the roots and impact of violence, MPT requested our intern, Cassidy Versen, provide her reflection on the Oxford School shootings from the perspective of a student (below). We will also share MPT’s Kim Redigan’s reflection on this event from the perspective of a high school teacher.
“I remember the first time I heard about a school shooting happening. I must have been in 6th grade, and I remember feeling so confused as to why someone would want to hurt little kids, especially while they were in school. I remember as the years went on, I heard more and more about mass shootings, some happening in high schools or college campuses, while others happened in public places like at Pulse or Las Vegas or the movie theater in Colorado. I remember my classmates and I complaining that the school shooting drills were not useful, why were we meant to hide in the corner of a classroom when someone could easily break down the door and kill us? I will never forget one of my teachers in high school explaining that while we had to do the drill, if there ever was an event of a school shooting, she would put herself between us to give us more of a chance to get out. Even now as a junior in college I am constantly aware of exits, places to hide, or even potential items to throw at the perpetrator in the event of a school shooting. Oxford should never have happened. While proactive school shooter drills are important for kids and can be crucial in saving more of their lives, no amount of training can ever prepare for something like this. Legislative change needs to be done. It is not as if there is not enough support for legislative change, the March for Our Lives protests has generated large support in terms of active nonviolence for changing gun laws. But more needs to be done to ensure nothing like this ever has the chance to happen again. Enough lives have been needlessly lost, the time for change is now.”
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It is easy to see school shootings as numbers. These are not numbers; the four victims in the Oxford shooting were Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17. To learn about the students who were taken far too soon, go to https://www.npr.org/…/what-we-know-about-the-victims-of…