By Meghna Padmanabhan ’17

On Sunday, September 11, a day known to every single American as the anniversary of one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in our history, I received a text about the possibility of a shooting at Livingston High School. Immediately, my thoughts went to all of the people I knew at the high school. My friend, who had received this information from someone at the school and then told us, assured me that everyone already knew and she was sure that the cops were involved by that point. I saw the screenshot of the Facebook post saying that some girl was going to bring a gun to school to “get revenge” on those who had bullied her in the past, and was immediately skeptical because of the public nature of the announcement and seemingly fake font that was used in the post. There was no way that something so dangerously real was happening five minutes away from where I go to school every day. I didn’t fully believe that it was a possibility because I did not want it to become one.

After texting friends who either live in Livingston or knew people who attend the high school, I grew more and more nervous about the entire situation. As stories like this travel, the facts tend to be skewed and exaggerated, yet in a situation like this, one can never be too safe. I found out from the same friend that this girl had actually been hacked, and that she was talking to the police about what happened, and that the situation was under control. “Under control,” however, is subjective. No matter what, there was the possibility of a serious threat and even the smallest notion of danger requires a full investigation. School shootings are severe and unpredictable, and have to be treated as such, no matter how improbable they may seem.

The following days consisted of police surveillance at the high school, a lack of attendance among many of the students, and random searches of people’s belongings to make sure that there was no threat of danger. A junior at Livingston High School, Kenny Newman, said that “getting my backpack searched (on the premise that I may be carrying in a gun) by my own teachers who I had come to think trusted me was just embarrassing, and it angered me that someone out there was making me feel this way while getting away with it.” The students were afraid, frustrated, and confused, especially when the same hacker posted another threat, causing the school to have a delayed opening. The disarray that a single person caused in a school so close to us is disturbing, yet eye opening.

Initially, many people believed that this girl was the one who posted the status because she had been a victim of bullying, and this unfortunate reality is one that pervades our lives as teenagers. Our every action has a consequence whether we are aware of it or not, and the fact that it is even a possibility for someone to be pushed to a point where they break is a horrifying realization. Whoever hacked this poor girl took advantage of her situation and, in Kenny’s words, “was willing to risk destroying his/her own future just to make someone else suffer.”

This issue not only relates to us as students, but also as people who have the responsibility to speak up when we see horrible things happen to people who cannot defend themselves, and to come together as a community when we face threats like these. Rohan Bendre ‘17, a resident of Livingston with many friends at the high school, said that despite it being a horrible situation over all, “I have always and still do believe Livingston to be a very safe town. I am glad that the school and authorities acted quickly and responsibly.” At Newark Academy, we work hard and try our best to ensure that these situations do not occur, yet it is imperative that we are prepared for anything. The Livingston community and police force have come together to combat this threat in a timely and efficient manner, and have proven that they can and will recover.