"Franklin High School Blue and God"

This morning was just another typical day in most lives.  Students went to school, parents on to work.  Your typical day in the USA.


In a small community, outside of Pittsburgh, students went up on the hill to Franklin Regional High School.

"Alma mater, true and glorious, let the flag of wisdom fly..."

Only today those flags didn't get raised, the morning announcements never happened, the lunch menu never disclosed.  Instead, twenty students were stabbed by another classmate before the tardy bell ever rang.

This happened at my Alma Mater.  My day has been focused on those families and the students.

And, my mind has wondered all day to my day in the hallways.  The smell of the wide halls, the sun coming in through the windows, the humidity in the cafeteria, the auditorium and the bricks that stuck out of the wall. 

.

Today, I went through my yearbook and looked, really looked at each person I graduated with from FRHS.

Some of my classmates I had known since kindergarten,
lived on my street, in my "hood" went to my church, were in scouts or Rainbow girls with me, some I really didn't know at all.

But after looking at each picture, I could remember something, even if it was just one thing, about everybody.

"Billow forth thy pride victorious, Dear Old Franklin High".

What happened today?  What made a student take a knife and start stabbing others?  Was he bullied?  Was he sad?  Had he told anyone about his troubles?

What was it that made him think this was a good thing to do? 

And how did we get here as a nation?

Where has our country gone?  Our states?  Our county?  Our town?

When did everybody get so damn crazy? Depressed?  Anxiety ridden?  When and how?  Will it ever end?

Social media and television get the blame.  I am not buying it.

After 9-11, everybody had a flag flying. Old Glory was everywhere.  You couldn't keep flags in the store.  Not anymore. The pain subsided. 

Perhaps this is the same.  "Another" school incident.  Everybody saying the same thing.  Until the next shocker.  And then, FRHS and stabbing incident will be forgotten.  We are immune because we don't think we can fix it. 

Why are kids so mad, sad and so bullied?  I personally thought the trend was to have as many friends and "likes" as you could get.

When I was in high school, there were the "it" kids, the athletic kids, the brainiac kids, the doper kids and the "nerd" kids.  I don't think much has changed.  Maybe new nicknames but still the same groups. But we all got along.  Not all of us had something in common, but we got along. 

Regardless of your religious beliefs, I was taught the golden rule, "do onto others as your would have others do unto you."  It was the family motto, or as my brother Todd always says, "it is nice to be nice."  Be kind.

Every class and every town has a "one brick shy of a load" kid.  Our class did. I think it was Brian S.  But I spoke to him, he knew me, we shared classes together. 

And yes, a couple others, who for whatever reason, did not fit in. Not that many. No fighting.  No real bullying.  Picking on, yes, but not real bullying.  We didn't dislike people, we just didn't know them or care to get to know them.

We didn't sit around and text.  Sure, we held hands in hallways, passed notes in between classes and went to fields and drank beer.  But we kept it all to ourselves.  Not every feeling was documented in  text.  We had conversations.  We asked people out in person, we broke up in person and we got to know one another through conversations.  And we listened to others.  Listened. 

We had human communication at school, on the bus (you wanted to ride the bus to learn about sex) and at home.

If my mother ever thought that my brother or I were part of any type of bullying, she would have beat the hell out of both of us, before my dad got home.  And then it would happen again.  And we knew it.

Face to face to conversations, tonality, facial expressions are key.  Just a simple smile to a random person can change a person's day.

Listening to someone is key.  Really listening.

Yes, technology is different.  When I was a freshman at Franklin, we got the new IBM ball typewriters in typing class.  Hands on home row keys, ready, begin." So, there was new technology, just like today.  But we spoke to one another.

"We will vow our service to thee, and our strengths to reach our goals"


When these school "incidents" have happened before, you sit and watch and listen but it not the same when it is YOUR school.  The school that you had so much love for and pride.  Now, I feel like the school's spirit will be tainted.  Of course it will recover.  But for now, tainted. 

I have read and watched and listen much more acutely today.  And with a bigger soul.  So proud of young people and how they handled themselves in the face of danger.  And the Vice Principal,  Way to go. 

When I flipped my cap into the graduation air that night, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all the teachers that had crossed my path, cared about me.  No doubt.  I knew they cared about kids.  The kids at Franklin.

"We will honor and defend they, Franklin High School Blue and Gold".

I feel for the parents of the accused stabber.  With all of my heart.  I will pray for them as often as I can. There was nothing they could have done to prevent this but they will go to their graves thinking there was. 

And I feel for the parents of all students, not only in Westmoreland County, but everywhere.
Certain places are just meant to be safe, school, Sunday school, Disney World and Birthday parties. 

The students, I feel for the students. What they witnessed today, what they heard and felt, nobody should ever have to learn ever.

But, in the spirit of learning...

there is a lesson from today.  Keep it in your heart everyday. 

 Smile at one another. Be kind.  Be kind to others at all times.  If they are not kind in return, walk away.  Be friends with as many people you can.  Not Facebook friends, friends.  Look somebody in the eye, walk through fire for them, smile. When you see someone sitting alone at lunch, ask them if they would like to join you.  Listen.   Be kind.

Carry on Franklin Regional Panthers!