Remembering, reflecting and rebuilding: The past, present and future of the MSD school shooting

Campus News Off-campus February 14, 2021 Admin

BY ARIELLE KRAUS, SASHEEN JOSEPH AND SOFIA MENDEZ Past On February 14, 2018, minutes before the end of class, fire alarms began to sound...

BY ARIELLE KRAUS, SASHEEN JOSEPH AND SOFIA MENDEZ

Past

On February 14, 2018, minutes before the end of class, fire alarms began to sound at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School. Amid the uncertainty, shots were heard out of nowhere. A 19-year-old gunman and former student of the school had opened fire, murdering 17 individuals and injuring dozens. Ever since this tragedy, student lives have forever changed.

“I was at my Thespian meeting when we suddenly were all told to leave campus immediately as there were rumors about a shooting happening nearby. [There was] confusion in the air but when I got home, everything made sense. I was in complete shock when I found out that there had been a high school shooting that was less than 25 minutes away from our school,” senior Katarina Esquivel said. “The aftermath most definitely took a toll on me because I found out that my friend’s friend lost his life in the MSD shooting. The news was just devastating and I just realized at that moment how this is real life and that this isn’t just the type of news you see happen in movies.”

In the aftermath of MSD, CCHS organized multiple walkouts to commemorate the victims and show support for the school through their difficult time. The first organized walkout was a rally at the CCHS football field. Actress and singer Zendaya posted on her Instagram a moving image showing CCHS’s peaceful demonstration for MSD. Senior Lea Lanker, along with many other CCHS students, was featured in this image.

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“I would say that for me it was a moment I was absolutely proud to be a part of simply because I knew that the horrible tragedy was being made aware of on social media,” Lanker said. “Knowing for a fact that even people like Zendaya were actually paying attention to the situation was uplifting.”

Present

For the past three years, CCHS has held a “Day of Service and Love” to commemorate the 14 students and three staff members who passed away on that tragic Valentine’s Day. CCHS has made it a top priority to focus on spreading kindness and love on this day.

“Every year, Cooper City High School students and staff and the community have come together to honor the lives lost at Stoneman Douglas,” Principal Vera Perkovic said. “The first year, it was a beautiful ceremony where we all came together in the courtyard and we put out desks [with] names [of the victims], and we released doves. It was an emotional and very meaningful ceremony. The second year, … the day was non-instructional, so we engaged in a variety of different service projects and activities to show love, appreciation and understanding for each other, and to recognize and honor the lives lost.”

For Principal Perkovic, this tragic day is very personal, as she worked with one of the victims, Chris Hixon, at her previous school. Hixon was a friend and colleague of hers that she misses dearly.

“No matter what time of the day, you would always find [Hixon], whether it was out in the field or on campus, working with students and really, truly dedicating his life to students,” Principal Perkovic said. “He truly loved what he did and it was really something special to see. I miss him.”

“No matter what time of the day, you would always find [Hixon], whether it was out in the field or on campus, working with students and really, truly dedicating his life to students.”
Principal Vera Perkovic

Just like previous years, CCHS is honoring the third anniversary of the tragedy by spreading kindness both in school and virtually. February 14 falls on a Sunday this year, so staff and students spent the week prior engaging in activities of love and service.

CCHS has a new assistant principal this year, Teresita Chipi, who was previously employed at MSD. Chipi worked as an educator and administrator there for 19 years. She taught chemistry before the tragedy and was not working at MSD in 2018; however, she returned in the following years as an administrator. Chipi oversaw the projects that CCHS engaged in this year as this cause is very near and dear to her heart.

“Each department is doing a service project in order to commemorate the third year anniversary of MSD,” Chipi said. “On Friday [February 12], they’ll take part of their class time to complete those projects and then they’re going to be displayed on campus. There [are] some other projects like, for example, [Exceptional Student Education]. They’re going to collect funds for our first responders here in Cooper City.”

In memory of Hixon and all the victims who tragically lost their lives, Principal Perkovic and the CCHS faculty make it a priority to not only spread love during this week, but also year-round. Students demonstrated their “Cowboy pride” by being kind and inclusive toward their peers.

“I just really want to recognize our students and staff for encouraging that and creating that culture of kindness and care on our campus.”
Principal Vera Perkovic

“This week [prior to the three-year anniversary] is the week where we commemorate and we have a specific date when we do that and we’ll [have] the moment of silence, but I believe that culture of kindness and caring, especially on our campus, is year-long,” Principal Perkovic said. “I just really want to recognize our students and staff for encouraging that and creating that culture of kindness and care on our campus.”

As CCHS works on creating a safer future for students and staff, it is important to never forget the lives lost. CCHS ensures that safety is a top priority at school and it is vital that students do their part to ensure that CCHS remains a safe campus.

“It is important to make everyone aware that … if we see something, say something. [It is important] that we keep our campuses safe because one life is just too many to lose,” Chipi said. “I had a former student [and] coworkers who were killed on that day and it’s just heartbreaking. It is very important that everyone is aware that safety is our first priority [and] there’s so many things that students can do and staff can do to keep our campuses safe.”

Future

The aftermath of the Parkland shooting has led to activism and the formation of organizations to end gun violence and make schools safer. Some families of the victims have made it their life’s mission to continue this battle. One such instance is the case of parent Max Schachter, who has made it his career and goal to end school shootings in schools.

Max Schachter is the father of Alex Schachter, a boy who was tragically murdered on February 14, 2018 at only 14 years old. Following the tragedy, Schachter immediately began to search for answers as to why and how this shooting occurred. He made it his goal to increase school safety, thus starting a nonprofit organization known as Safe Schools For Alex, where he serves as the Founder and Executive Director.

“Our mission is to promote school safety… practices and resources to parents, schools and law enforcement in order to make schools safe and prevent tragedies like what happened in Parkland from ever happening again,” Schachter said. “It’s also to keep my little boy’s memory alive and to do the things that he loved to do.”

“Our mission is to promote school safety… practices and resources to parents, schools and law enforcement in order to make schools safe and prevent tragedies like what happened in Parkland from ever happening again.”
Safe Schools For Alex Founder and Executive Director Max Schachter

The most recent project Safe Schools For Alex has launched is the School Incident Report. This website gives individuals access to what is happening in all of the reporting schools in the state of Florida. Parents, teachers, students, schools and all others interested can utilize this resource to obtain data on suspensions and incidents happening on campuses.

“Never before have parents been able to search up their child’s school to see what’s happening inside the school after they drop their child off,” Schachter said. “Hopefully, the data will spark a conversation between parents and their principals.”

Schachter started the School Incident Report after recognizing that this data was available through the Department of Education but was not easily reachable or understandable for public use. Schachter’s team made it their objective to collect and share this data in an accessible manner for the general public.

“Through the course of [the MSD Public Safety Commission] investigation, I realized that there was this data that was being collected by the Department of Education but I never knew. There was never any kind of transparency or communication … so when I found this data, I was very curious because I never realized that Alex was going to school with such a violent, violent individual,” Schachter said. “I looked at the data and the data was just this massive Excel spreadsheet, in this format that was completely unusable [for] normal people to dissect, to analyze, so that’s why I created this site…”

For students interested in taking action, Safe Schools For Alex plans to create a School Safety Club that students can bring to their campuses in the future.

For students interested in taking action, Safe Schools For Alex plans to create a School Safety Club that students can bring to their campuses in the future. They have already created one club in New York that is successful thus far. Schachter believes that implementing this club on school campuses will create a positive culture and climate on campuses.

Schachter has taken a situation that no parent could ever imagine and turned it into action. He keeps Alex’s memory alive every day through Safe Schools For Alex and his mission to make schools safer for everyone.

“Alex was a beautiful little boy and we miss him tremendously,” Schachter said. “Alex was in the marching band, he played basketball, he would’ve been your best friend like all of your other friends and we miss him every day. Hug your parents, tell your parents you love them and spend time with everybody.”