Editor’s note: this story won first place for editorials in the Press Women of Texas high school contest. It also won second place for print editorials in the ILPC contest. 

In the last decade, gun violence in America has been at an all time high. According to the CDC, over 1.2 million Americans have been shot in the past ten years. With this came the rise in mass shootings. Recently, two of these mass shootings  occurred in Odessa and El Paso Texas, killing 29 people. Having these highly publicized shootings happen in our home state means that more people are afraid of losing their lives at any given moment- at schools, churches and stores.

This harsh reality affects teenagers. The rise in gun violence and school shootings in the United States has caused a whole generation to have anxiety and nightmares about events that most have never experienced. Students are more aware than ever of the constant danger they are in.

Lockdown drills are how we prepare for this possibility, but many students and teachers don’t take these drills seriously. Everyone whispers and makes jokes. The only way to make these drills effective  is by taking them seriously.

Another problem with the adequecy of the drills is that they are only  in second period and during Marauder Time. In reality, school shooters can come at any point in the day. Right now students don’t know what to do in the event of a shooter coming into the building during a passing period, lunch or even if they were in the bathroom.

The staff had a summer training class in Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). The program teaches people to avoid, deny and defend in the event of an active shooter. This information has not yet been shared with students, and it could greatly help students be more prepared for what to do in a shooting whether it’s the school or  community.

We are asking for an  upcoming Marauder Time lesson to be devoted to informing students about gun safety, gun violence and what to do in the event that an active shooter enters the school or a community event. The school spends weeks learning about mental health and suicide awareness. While we feel this is beneficial, this topic is also important.

Also, at some point in the year, there should be a lockdown drill in every class period. Teachers should also talk to their students about what to do specifically in that class. This would allow the student body to be educated on what to do in more situations and would ease some of their anxiety.

Learning and education should be students’ main concerns at school. Knowledge is power, so training students in more scenarios would alleviate some of their stress and could potentially save lives.