Post Falls Galvanized By Tragedy High School Students, Teachers Form Group To Counter Violence

Katie Quinn graduates in just a few weeks. She’s counting the days until her senior class trip and is looking forward to college.

Quinn knows many Columbine High students were anticipating the same end-of-the year rituals, until two teenage gunmen destroyed their plans last week.

That common bond frightened the Post Falls High School senior into action.

“What happened in Colorado really affected me,” Quinn, 18, said. “School should be a place where you can go and feel safe.”

About two dozen students, teachers and others met in the high school cafeteria Wednesday, at Quinn’s request, to discuss how to make their school safer.

They decided to form SAVE, Students Against Violence in Education, and hope the group catches on at schools around the country.

“There’s strength in numbers,” Quinn said. “We can start a petition, send a bill to Congress … I am one senior out of a million. What can I do? I got all of you here.”

The group still needs to come up with a mission statement and get student council approval. Principal John Billetz has offered to be their adviser. They’ll meet next week to work on a Web page.

On Wednesday, the students met in small groups to brainstorm how to make schools safer. They wrote their ideas on large sheets of paper and hung them on the wall.

Some suggested metal detectors, uniforms, more security officers and one-way doors. Others said schools need to abolish cliques, take violent threats more seriously and encourage equality between groups of students.

Senior Keri Ponce said punishments must be stiffer for violent students.

“We’re old enough to know the same as adults what is right and what is wrong,” Ponce said.