Dear Students,

I am one of you. I’m eighteen years old, I’m involved in Key Club, and I’m a senior at Glenbrook North High School. I know what it’s like to be a part of the school system. I know what it’s like to experience the daily pressures of cliques, teenage angst, and drama. But above all, I know what it’s like to be human.

We have been called upon in the most tragic of ways. Our peers in Parkland, Florida, went to school on February 14, 2018, and seventeen of them never came home.

There is a small margin of people who have never experienced the emotional pain of isolation. When you think of the word on its own, you may think isolation means being completely alone, with no signs of other life. However, it is possible to feel isolated even when surrounded by friends and family, or by a crowd of strangers. Personality plays a role in determining the weight of isolation in life. Extroverts are often more open about their feelings than introverts are, but that does not limit the reach that isolation may have on them. I believe Nikolas Cruz’s level of isolation led him to do the unimaginable. Have you noticed that even the most “popular” kids face verbal harassment from his friends in the form of jokes? That boy’s anger may cause him to be our next shooter. Do you see the kid with the blank stare sitting alone in the lunchroom with headphones in his ears? His acquired lack of emotion may cause him to be our next shooter.

No matter the person, everyone enjoys being recognized. This sought recognition can be as simple as a passing “hello” in the hallway. As students who see firsthand how our peers are acting, we have an immense responsibility to note and act on signs of isolation in those around us. Our generation has grown up looking down. Recent developments in portable technology have disconnected us from one another. The seemingly effortless act of looking into someone’s eyes when speaking to them has become a fear factor, as we are starting to lose our understanding of how to communicate genuinely.

As a member of the Key Club board, we are always trying to come up with new and creative ways to establish a strong sense of community within Glenbrook North, and beyond. We have noticed that smartphones have become the predominant source of communication amongst middle school and high school students, and the alarming statistics and rates of depression in adolescents rise after the introduction of smartphones to the market. In order to curb the impact of emotional disconnect due to smartphones, Key Club is planning to introduce the use of the app, Sit With Us, to its members. The premise is simple. Students that don’t have someone to sit with at lunch can log onto the app and indicate that they want someone to sit with. The message is then sent to participating Key Club members and they can respond, meet up and eat with the individual. The app is “designed to fight bullying and advocate kindness and inclusion.”

So, students of Glenbrook North, embrace your responsibility and look up. It’s that simple. Search for the kids that you feel may be going through a hard time and use the power of your kind words to lift them from their isolation. Embrace being human and be the love you want to see in the world.

Your Friend,

Senior Sharon Koretskov