With numerous threats to SAD75, anxiety is at an all-time high for students, parents, and staff members. I can speak for myself and several others when I say the bells for announcements over the intercom are no longer a thing to be dismissed but are now initially perceived as a potential lockdown. As a senior at Mt. Ararat High School, I count my blessings to be graduating in June. But with this in mind, I don’t want to leave my fellow classmates behind. I know the fear some of them endure every day. It is unfair for me to turn a cheek because I will no longer be apart of the high school community.

With our country butting heads on what the cause of school shootings may be, we fail to realize it isn’t a simple black and white answer. In short, we are all correct. While bullying is something we need to face head-on, it’s not the only cause of mass shootings. Mental health is another thing we need to pay avid attention to. As a country, we need to make sure funding for programs put in place for people with mental health issues is significant. Although it’s a hard topic to talk about, it can no longer be swept under the rug.

With mental health being romanticized in my generation, it’s hard to pinpoint what could be causing a spike in mental health cases. For some people, it could be a divorce between their parents or even in their own relationship. For others, it could be an imbalance of hormones. Whatever the reason, we as a community need to strengthen the support for those with mental health issues. We also need to collectively change the stigma of mental health from someone being a “snowflake” to someone who is in desperate need of help.

Not only do we need to support a positive change for the mental health of America, but we also need better gun control laws. I am not trying to take away America’s guns, nor is a majority of people who support gun control. In fact, I applaud responsible gun owners. The issue is the separation between who is responsible behind closed doors and who is not. If someone fears a background check and/or a waiting period for a gun purchase, should said person really own a gun?

While this hypothetical question seems to have a straightforward answer in my mind, there are still people who fight against mandatory classes, screenings, and waiting periods. I do understand the inconvenience, mainly because myself and many others have dealt with these same circumstances in order to get a driver’s permit and then license. As for the argument ‘Well if you’re trying to restrict criminals from buying firearms, wouldn’t they just buy one illegally?’ It is a valid point. Someone with a criminal past may seek alternative options for obtaining a firearm, but at least it isn’t as easy for them to do so. At least we tried to create a barrier.

In light of the trend #WalkUp- NotOut we have seen people agree and disagree on what it really means. While I agree bullying needs to come to an end once and for all, there is in no way someone should condone a school shooting because the shooter was bullied. Yes, we need to teach our children not to pick on people, but we should also teach them that victimshaming is another form of bullying. In truth, it is not a student’s responsibility to uphold the mental stability of their classmates. I don’t want to die because someone went too far with a joke about a kid I possibly may not even know.

Why are we divided on a topic where both sides are just fighting for the safety of our community? Drop your political parties and listen to one another. Those that want better mental health programs? Yes! We do need that! Those that want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals? Yes! We need that too! There is no right or wrong. Come together and make sacrifices for the safety of our community. We need to stop sending our children off to battle every morning. Something needs to be done, whether it be background checks to help keep firearms out of the hands of high-risk individuals, more funding to mental health programs, or a shift in society’s perception of bullying, we need to agree and come to a compromise before more lives are taken by someone that may not even fully comprehend their actions.

Ivy Dennen is a senior at Mt. Ararat High School.