The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

The best stories being published on the SNO Sites network

Best of SNO

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24 Years Later: The Lasting Impacts of a Tragedy

The 24th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting took place April 20.
A+graphic+displays+the+Rocky+Mountain+Columbine+flower%2C+often+used+to+honor+or+remember+Columbine+High+School+after+the+school+shooting+that+took+place+24+years+ago.+
Grace Uhrain, Abigail Wood
A graphic displays the Rocky Mountain Columbine flower, often used to honor or remember Columbine High School after the school shooting that took place 24 years ago.

Today, April 20, marks the 24th anniversary of the Columbine High School (CHS) shooting.

On April 20, 1999, students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris walked into Columbine, both carrying guns and bombs. At 11:19 a.m., they opened fire on campus. Both boys had made videos prior to walking into the school stating what they intended to do and apologizing to their parents.

The shooting ended with 12 students and one teacher killed and 24 injured. After the SWAT team arrived, Klebold and Harris took their own lives at 12:00 p.m. the same day in the school library. The school has since been remodeled. 

These traumatic shootings have not only affected the members of the Columbine Shooting but also the 349,000 students that have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine, according to an article from the Washington Post. 

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School nurse Stephanie Walter was a junior at Columbine when the shooting occurred. The effects of that day have followed her and others throughout their lives.

“I definitely have [post-traumatic stress disorder]. I went through a lot of therapy, learning how to live with it. It definitely affects you. You can go months without having anything upsetting you, then, April comes around or other shootings happen and it brings everything back. So, I’m just learning how to work through that,” Walter said. 

There have been 377 school shootings in the U.S. since Columbine, according to the Washington Post, and 158 have occurred since 2018, according to Education Week.

Many organizations, such as Preventing Gun Violence and March For Our Lives, have since been created with goals of spreading awareness, preventing future incidents and more.  

“I feel like there’s definitely more awareness about the shootings, along with more procedures and training. It’s unfortunate–I feel since Columbine, 24 years ago, it’s only gotten worse,” Walter said. “From the shooting standpoint, I think we’ve now gotten to the point where we have to live every day through lockdown drills. The awareness of trying to make everybody safe is better, but I don’t feel like the shootings have [decreased].”

This story was originally published on The Rock Newspaper on April 20, 2023.