Do you think that a school shooting is likely to happen at your high school, and if so, how would people react?

"I really don't think it would happen at our school. We have crazy people, but not that crazy." — Justin Baker, junior, Hillcrest High School

"Yeah, I could maybe see something similar happening. I think that could happen in almost any high school." — Sarah Webster, senior, East High School

"There is a chance it could happen. I think that people could be drawn over the edge. It would be really scary." — Kristen Castleberry, sophomore, Hillcrest

"I don't think it is very likely that something like this would happen at Cottonwood, because we have a variety of groups here; people get along a lot better. If it did happen, it would be a mixture of a lot of people at fault — someone who didn't tell if they knew, the person who did the shooting, the media for putting too much emphasis on everything in the first place." — Heather Valentine, senior, Cottonwood High School

"People die every day. Innocent people are shot and killed all around the world. When teenagers kill kids in their school, it's shocking, but it shouldn't be." — Alberto Theodore, senior, East

"I think that there's a very great possibility that someone could just go off on a shooting rampage at our school. The layout is very weak because there is one big hall. If you wanted to, you could just shoot everybody down." — Erika Harker, senior, Mountain View High School

"We've got people who like to copy others to get attention. Yeah, I think it could (happen)." — Heather Wilkinson, senior, Hillcrest

"I think the chances of that happening would be very small at West Jordan High School because people are less violent here. They don't see it as much, we're all in our own little bubble, so they wouldn't do something like that." — Becky Milner, senior, West Jordan

"I think (the chances) are slim to none. Utah is too conservative to have rebellious teenagers with guns at school." — Joe Gillis, senior, West Jordan High School

"I think it's very likely because there have been lots of conflicts and complications at my school." — Andrea Beckstead, senior, Hillcrest

"I don't think it would happen here." — Kathryn Rees, sophomore, Cottonwood

View Comments

"Yes, I can see many people losing their cool and seeking revenge. Anyway, the reaction would be the same as Columbine's — a lot of sad, scared kids." — Claire Ace Hayes, senior, East

"Yes, because guns will always be an issue in schools." — Krystal Lindsey, senior, East

"The shootings, like at Columbine, could easily happen here at Cottonwood because there are some pretty weird kids and I know they get treated pretty badly." — T.J. Jones, junior, Cottonwood


Abby Felt is a senior at East High School. She feels that because there actually was a shooting a few years ago at East, it could probably happen again. Nancy Barber is a senior at West Jordan High School who says administrators at her school have held "intruder drills," just in case. Sarah Jackman is a senior at Cottonwood High School. She believes people can always find a reason to "go ballistic" if that's the way they choose to react.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.