School's Biggest Fear

A huge issue across U.S. schools is gun safety and school shootings. Between 2018 and 2023, there have been more than 1,200 school shootings, leaving more than 1,000 victims, according to U.S. News (USN). These numbers have dramatically increased over the years. 

For many years, school shootings have filled the news. Parents, children and teachers have lived in fear of guns in schools. Families have suffered losses from mass shootings. Many schools, including Kapaun Mt. Carmel, have worked towards improving their security systems to protect staff and students alike. At KMC, we take precautions, such as preventing backpacks outside of lockers and using breathalyzers at school gatherings. 

KMC President Rob Knapp and Principal Chris Bloomer have gone to great lengths to protect students here. Administrators are constantly patrolling the premises, using radios to alert one another. Teachers also patrol the commons and parking lot before and after school. 

Many students around America suffer from feelings of intense isolation, or loneliness. This could be a possible contender for someone bringing a gun to school. Kapaun Mount Carmel over the years has been working consistently to bring the student body together, making sure nobody feels alone.

“If you look at most of these school shooters, there’s a disconnect,” Bloomer said. “They feel cut out, isolated, and not part of the community; so there’s been a great emphasis on relationship building [here at KMC]. Whether you say Kairos, clubs, or increased involvement in activities. All of those things enrich the high school experience, but they’re all about developing relationships so that people feel tied to the school ”

Staff in this school also have regular discussions regarding safety to find out what works and what doesn't. 

“The number one priority is providing a safe environment,” Bloomer said. “If a student is anxious or afraid, they constantly will think about what’s going to happen. It really doesn’t matter who the teacher is or what they are teaching. The students are not learning because they are not completely engaged. 

This can be a problem for any student suffering from anxiety or a fear that something could happen. This constant nervousness will make it difficult to focus on education, rather than safety. Humans naturally want to protect themselves from anything their minds perceive as a threat.

“We all from the beginning of time have a fight or flight mechanism built into us that if we sense danger, we are going to remove ourselves. If we can’t physically remove ourselves, we will mentally remove ourselves. I think it’s an ongoing thing.”

Students also agree that shootings have often stemmed from mental health issues, and that KMC is working to prevent them.

“I feel like maybe there’s a mental problem to it as well,” Naldoza said. “We have guidance counselors here for a reason, like a mentor to talk about something. I feel like once a month you can just go and talk for like five minutes about whatever is going on. It would really help.”

Teen mental health could be a big contender to school shootings. As mental health declines, many people feel they have nobody to talk to. Violence is often a last resort. Here at Kapaun, we have a social and emotional counselor to help students through any issues and monitor students who may be struggling with their mental health. 

Like Naldoza, sophomore Eloisa Esparza agreed that people with mental illnesses need to seek help. 

“I feel like people with mental illnesses can just have so much anger in them and they don’t know how to take it out. It’s like they’ve been through a lot of bullying and they just want to take it out on students and teachers at the school,” Esparaza said. “I think Kapaun is doing its best, you can’t fully prevent them. I think our drills are the best things we can do. For that situation, there’s not much we can do, but procedures do a good job of preparing us for what we have to do.”

As the students and staff said. Kapaun Mt. Carmels security is trying its best to keep everyone safe. Brett Mulnix, one of KMC’s security members, plays a significant role.

“The organization is trained that if you are going to have a target, it means someone is planning to carry out an act of violence, so we want to be vigilant to observe something immediately. There’s a lot of slices of the pie,” Mulnix said. “There are security measures that almost every school does, obviously we don’t do them to the same level. The social/emotional counselor also helps. [The students]are usually the ones who will hear or see things that aren’t right. Everybody helps.”

Kapaun goes to great lengths to protect their Crusaders. Many of the rules that administrators try to enforce are designed to protect students and the community as a whole.  Many are also grateful that we have counselors to talk to when students are struggling with mental health to further prevent someone from feeling the need to take it out on the school. We are always trying to build strong relationships through students so nobody feels alone.