The novel Hate List, by Jennifer Brown, follows the story of Valerie Leftman, a survivor of a school shooting. Not only was Valerie a victim, but she was also the girlfriend of Nick Levil, the shooter. Valerie and Nick composed a “hate list” that included students, parents, celebrities, and concepts that they hated. On the fateful day of May second, unbeknownst to Valerie, Nick came to school with a gun and shot several students on this list. Throughout the novel, Valerie struggles with coping with the shooting, and who she is after the tragedy. She also goes back to school and is forced to deal with, ironically, the hate that students impose onto her. However, the novel ends on a happier note that one must find out by reading the novel in entirety.
Although this book was based on a depressing topic, it made me think about the extent of what has to happen for change to occur; why does it take an awful event for students to realize how their words and actions can hurt their peers? We are taught at a young age to have respect for others, remember the Golden Rule, and treat others the way you want to be treated. But, over the years, there has been a disconnect between what we are told and what we do. RMHS is in some ways desensitized from the horrors that can happen at school. But, if students can learn more in depth what their core school values are, then maybe RMHS and schools around the world, can ensure that a school shooting will never happen again.
School shootings have plagued America for over a decade. In particular, the school shooting that happened at Columbine High School in Colorado sent shock waves through the country. Two students, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, came to school on April 20, 1999, and massacred twelve students and a teacher, while also wounding twenty other people. Shortly after, both Klebold and Harris shot themselves.
School shootings had happened in the past, but not to this extent. I was not old enough to truly understand the significance of the Columbine Shooting. But, as a junior, and after reading Hate List, I began to wonder how I would react to a school shooting. More importantly, I began to evaluate the motivations behind Klebold and Harris, as well as Nick. Being bullied does not justify murdering one’s peers, but bullying is not justified either. Perhaps if we as students truly understood how to treat each other, these massacres that leave physical and emotional scars, could be prevented.
Currently, the core values at RMHS are being edited to contain values focused on character and attitude. However, most students are not aware that these core values exist, and even if they are, they do not always follow them. Even though concepts such as respect and kindness are engraved into our minds at young ages, there is a disconnect between these values and how we are taught to uphold them. In correlation to this disconnect in values, there has been a rise in bullying over the past years.
Students speak words that hurt their peers which translates to a point of depression and self-hatred. Perhaps, if core values were centered on how students should treat each other and if students were educated more thoroughly in their school values, then this hatred would be eliminated.
This hatred between classmates and within students themselves that is sometimes the catalyst behind school shootings could be terminated. Since RMHS is working on creating new core values, the faculty should keep in mind that these values should be directed towards character. Most importantly, they should be clearly conveyed so that students can truly grasp what these core values mean, and how they should abide by them.