My High School’s Tragedy Actually Led to Change
When seven of my classmates were killed, the government acted swiftly and decisively to prevent a recurrence. That’s because of one crucial difference.
Stories like mine always seem to begin the same way: The sky that morning was so blue—strikingly blue—and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. We were teenagers, unburdened by the weight of the world beyond our small Midwestern town. Nothing bad—nothing really bad—ever happened in Fox River Grove, Illinois.
The next part of the story is the same, too: Shortly after 7 a.m., confusion, fear, and panic ripped through that crisp October morning. Five of my classmates were killed instantly and 24 injured. News helicopters hovered as those of us left grieving huddled together, fearful, shaking, and terribly confused. How could it happen? Here, where nothing happened? Who could let this happen?
