It has been gut wrenching to see the most tragic circumstances imaginable occur at two of the places I’ve called home – Penn State and Franklin Regional – schools where young people are supposed to grow and learn in a safe environment, not mourn in the national spotlight.
During my sophomore year at Penn State, Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting children on our campus. This week in my hometown of Murrysville, a young man was accused of stabbing 20 teenagers at my old high school. It’s all too real when events like these are no longer just something you hear about on the news, but actually happening at your own school.
Through the core of these awful tragedies, however, I’ve also seen the very best in humanity. I’ve witnessed heroes emerge and communities come together stronger than ever. “We are Penn State,” never meant more than when I stood on the lawn of Old Main with my peers for a candlelit vigil for Sandusky’s victims.
And in Murrysville this week, I’ve heard countless stories of heroism from Franklin Regional students and faculty members – the student who pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building, the security guard who was stabbed in the stomach trying to stop the attacker, and a young man who jumped in front of his best friend to take the knife for her, not to mention that she gave him first aid, saving his life in return.
But there’s also an anonymous Samaritan I can attest to personally: I work at a coffee shop in Murrysville, and during my shift Wednesday evening, a woman called the store – a parent from Sandy Hook Elementary. She wanted to pay for our next $50 in customers. This small act of reaching out from one hurting small town to another brought a small bit of solidarity to the guests of our café; one of them teared up when we explained why her order was paid for.
The students and community members of Murrysville will heal physically and emotionally, just like I saw the community of Penn State healing the last few years, and just like that parent from Sandy Hook is healing herself.
The heroes at Franklin Regional should be the real celebrities this week.
-Penn State Nittany Lion, Class of 2013
-Franklin Regional Panther, Class of 2010