April 20th, 1999. Just a normal day for many students and teachers at Columbine High School. Until very abruptly it turned into a tragic day that will be remembered for years to come. Two students planned a shooting on fellow students and killed 12 students and 1 teacher and injuring many more.

"I'm Not Ashamed" is a movie based on true events and based on the journal's written by Rachel Joy Scott, one of the first students shot and killed April 20th. This article is not a review of the film, however, the film is what encouraged this study of school shootings today.

During this time of research, many interviews were watched that included the victims of the Columbine massacre and the mom of one of the shooters and her time dealing with the fact that before the shooting, she would never have guessed her son could kill his fellow classmates and teacher and actually plan to harm a lot more. Other interviews watched were from doctors and psychiatrists who add their findings on the human brain and what could lead a child into suicidal thoughts or go to the extreme of taking their aggression out on others.

Sandy Hook - Newtown, Connecticut December 14th, 2012. 20 children and 6 staff members were killed. Since then, there has been reported to be over 200 school shootings in the United States.

When discussing her son, Susan Klebold speaks about how she had no idea that he was suicidal. She had no idea he felt such hatred. Susan discusses how she had felt like a failure as a parent because she hadn't seen the signs. How she wished she would not have pushed it aside as a teenage development and wished she could go back and get him the help he needed. For years, Susan has used this experience to fuel her passion for advancing mental health awareness and intervention.

"If love were enough, to stop someone who was suicidal from hurting themselves, suicide would hardly ever happen. But love is not enough." - Susan Klebold

Many acts of hate stem from a retaliation to bullying or pain. One way to help avoid these tragedies is to educate students on the effects of bullying and encouraging acceptance. Rachel Joy Scott's journals keep her memory alive and have sparked waves across the world. People who knew her spoke of her heart for the Lord and her love for people she didn't even know.

"Most people had found out about my past with experimenting with drugs and stuff like that. They judge me because of that and Rachel instead of judging me for it she kind of more felt for me and tried to understand how to help people like that...She helped me feel better about myself she helped me realize that there are good people out there. She made me want to be a better person." - Valerie, Rachel's friend

Scientists blame social media and culture for kids turning to violence. Whether that be violent video games, TV shows or movies, it is even found that each mass shooting holds the potential to span others, because would-be shooters will see the stories about the crimes in the newspaper, and will use them to be copycats.

My heart breaks for everyone affected by these shootings. My heart goes out to the families of not only the victims but also the families of the shooters. We may not be able to completely stop these horrendous shootings from ever happening again however, we can help ourselves and the people around us by just showing them love and accepting those around us and making sure no one goes through life feeling worthless or put out. I pray for all who are affected by the acts of hate and for our country as we deal with these tragedies...God bless.