Personal Experience: Horrendous Columbine High School

Barbara Dority author of “The Columbine Tragedy: Countering the Hysteria”, illustrates how society becomes hysterical after a teen commits a mass school shooting. The Columbine shooting occurred April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado. It was caused by two adolescents Eric Harris and Dylan Kledold, collectively killed 13 students and wounded 23 others. After the Columbine shooting, society looked in every direction for who is to blame for such a horrendous act of violence caused by teens. Dority expresses how society tends to panic, and take away the youths’ pleasures such as video games, music, and the very basic rights young people have. While society posit that media or Goth music is the catalyst for teen violence, it is not the media or Goth who are to blame for teen violence.

As a diverse student, in a very low income community I have always been known to standing up for others, as well as for myself. Having this natural drive i found myself taking a huge role in our high school Beta Club. As a natural leader, I was challenged with the opportunity to represent our high school’s Beta Club Chapter while running for North Carolina Beta Secretary. Although I felt experienced as a leader, I was really nervous to get up in front of all of North Carolina and give a speech at the Beta Club convention. Although I was nervous, I opened my mouth, and the words just began to come out. My fears went away, and I addressed everyone on topics of educational improvements and opportunities for all students to succeed. I used this

During 8th grade at Howard D. McMillan Middle, I believed one person could make a difference if they just set their mind to do so. Our school had many restrictions and few student activities. Early that year I became interested in Student Government (S.G.) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), so I decided to run for President of both clubs hoping to make a change.

The book Columbine by Dave Cullen has been banned for its content about the Columbine School Shooting and the psychology behind the shooting. It was censored from students because of this content that, while being sensitive and triggering to those who are against gun violence or have PTSD from a situation like this, can help spread awareness about school shootings in a world where events such as the Columbine School Shooting are slowly becoming more and more common. This book, having graphic details about the shooting that can upset people who read it, is a book that can be taught, as its merits, literary qualities, and educational value justify it as a book that teachers can use to bring up valuable points in discussion and teach valuable

On the morning of April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold approach Columbine High School, in Jefferson County, Colorado. Armed with one 10-shot Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle, one Intratec AB-10 (TEC-9) pistol, two Savage 12-gauge shotguns, and as many as ninety-five explosive devices, Harris and Klebold enter the school near the cafeteria. Upon doing so, they are met with the words that God commanded unto Moses on Mount Sinai: Thou Shall Not Kill. Harris and Klebold tremble in fear and shame for what they have come to accomplish. Dropping their weapons, the boys fall to their knees, bow their heads in penance, and pray to God for forgiveness.

Throughout my high school years, I gave myself many opportunities and challenges to demonstrate my worth as a leader. Of all these positions, the one I take pride in the most would be taking the lead role of directing a non-profit ACT organization. Together with my classmate, we had founded the organization to which I took charge of after he left to attend college. During my role as president of the ACT organization, my responsibilities included tutoring, finding teachers, organizing sign ups, as well as procuring space to hold classes.

In later years, the Columbine High School Massacre reflected tales of adolescents captured by darkness where they took part in an evangelical youth movement (Pike 647). This movement caused an uproar in legislation involving church and state (Pike 647). The massacre also effected public school dress codes and behavior policies, and most importantly, shaped Americans’ reasoning about teens deviance and normality (Pike 647).

Eighteen years ago on April 20, 1999, two students identified as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold besieged Columbine High School in Colorado. Infamously known now as the Columbine Massacre, it was, at the time, “ the worst school shooting in U.S. history” (Obmascik, 1999, para. 1) with 15 causalities including the perpetrators themselves. Despite occurring in a small town in Colorado, the event shook the entire country. The shooting became a national ordeal as America watched "the murders being broadcast[ed] locally and nationally on live television" (Obmascik, 1999, para. 12). Moreover, as news outlets continuously published reports on the massacre, information unraveled and a story developed in real time.

April 20th, 1999 is a day that will never be forgotten, on that day the first school shooting massacre accord. At around eleven fifteen a.m. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris opened fire on students at Columbine High School in a suburb of Denver, Colorado. What drives two teenagers to the point of mass murder? These kids had come to a dark road in their lives and they succumbed to it completely and that is when they began to plan for the biggest school shooting. What drove these two teens to their breaking point and what was the result of their choices?

They were first inspired by the Oklahoma City bombing and planned to conduct the shooting on the same day calling it it's anniversary. They later found video footage of Klebold gloating about having the most deaths in the U.S. expecting to kill 600 people. Harris and Klebold took action by placing bombs inside the cafeteria. Shortly, after the bombs went off it was in their mind to gun down all remaining survivors. "Because of their inability to appreciate the feelings of others, some psychopaths are capable of behavior that normal people find not only horrific but baffling," Hare writes (Dave Cullen). For example, the same exciting feeling you get when putting up your Christmas tree around the holiday season these two young men bodies filled with the same joy. They were just killers looking for a way to attack the world today! Thirteen were killed with twenty-three other being injured. Shortly after the schools mass shooting the two Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris then killed themselves.

What would drive two seemingly normal high schoolers to try and slaughter everyone they went to school with? Was it the bullying, angst or video games and movies? Or none of the above. As we examine what led up to one of the worst domestic terrorist acts in American history I think we’ll that find Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold weren’t your average teenagers. In my opinion they were cold blooded killers who had every intention to take as many lives as they could.

Columbine High School, 1999, shocked the United States and forever changed law enforcement traditional approach to mass shooting. The old tactical approach by law officers to “contain and negotiate” with the perpetrator proved to be outdated with the Columbine active shooter incident. As a result, police departments across the country were prompt to rethink and reevaluate how they should respond to active shooter incidents. This particular incident, 1. Changed the way police officers are trained. 2, how to respond to an active shooter incident. 3, reeducated the community on how to react and respond to an active shoot. 4, how the community can help prevent an active shooter incident from happening. 6, it redefined what it meant to be an active shooter.

     The 20th of April was the anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The shooting deaths of 12 students and 1 teacher—and the two suicides of the teenage executioners and left many others psychologically and physically damaged. Who’s to blame? , On the issue of blame, of this massacre it is not music, or video games, and not even movies, it’s the shooters because everybody is responsible own actions. However, the parents could have been more involved in their lives. What parent wouldn’t notice their child listening to groups like Marilyn Manson, or I.C.P. (or known as Insane Clown Possie)(both band lyrics are filled with violence). Although, they were not totally accepted by

In April of 1999 the school of Columbine suffered from great tragedy. The school never

Over the last couple of years I’ve been heavily engaged in numerous public service programs. I attended high school in Lebanon where I taught an ESL class for native Arabic speakers. I helped them overcome the language barriers they faced in their work and personal lives. My senior year of high school I visited Liberia, Africa, the country in which my father was born, and saw the atrocities young women in the area deal with. Once I went back to Lebanon I began fundraising locally for a non-profit called “Lifting Liberia” which served to provide women living in Liberia with necessary health and educational amenities.