The shooting that happened at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida has Taft High staff wanting to take action to improve the safety of our school. The teachers and staff are wanting students to feel safe on our campus, and to encourage students to stay true to the “See Something. Say something.” motto by reporting incidents, whether it be online under the “Hotline/Incident Report” link on the website or by telling a teacher. Since Taft High experienced its own tragedy on campus back in 2013, they are wanting to do anything and everything they can to help out, as well as help students on the campus after hearing of the Florida shootings some peace of mind. In the back of the Guidance Center, they set up a place for staff and students to write cards to those who were tragically affected by the shooting that happened at Stoneman Douglas High School.  

Tragedy has a way of affecting everyone differently. One student felt the drive to really find out who the victims of the shooting were as people.This student’s name is Kathryn (Cloey) Waddell who had a question on an assignment that asked, “Who were the victims of the shooting in Florida?” Waddell took the time to find out each student’s name and found out things about them like what sports they played and who they were as an individual. The other students in the class wrote, “…that they were just students and teachers of the school.” Finding out who these people were “…brought me some closure, but knowing that they’re gone is even worse. I needed to find out who these kids were; I would rather remember the names of the kids rather than the actual shooter himself.” Waddell felt that, “These people aren’t just numbers and they deserve to be treated more than that.”

When tragedy strikes, people come together. Taft High is filled with caring and compassionate individuals who aren’t afraid to reach out and make a difference in others’ lives. That is what Taft High wants students to take away with them when they graduate. Bad things are going to happen, but it is what we do through these tough times that determines who we really are as people. The shooting that occured in Florida was a very tragic and sad incident, and the people of Taft HIgh did not want to sit around to do nothing to try and make it better. They took action. Even something as little as sending heartwarming cards to hurt families, or taking the time to find out who the students, whose lives ended much too soon were as individual people, makes a huge difference.