As 2023 draws to an end, we find ourselves starting to reflect on the previous year, both individually and as a community. When taking a moment to look back at the impacts of this year on our community it’s important to understand what these impacts may have, or continue to, look like.

In late October of this year, Maine experienced a tragedy like it’s never seen before. Though usually seeming worlds apart [from us], Lewiston came to feel closer than ever, truly hitting home. Many individual repercussions were harder to see, however, when closing in on a school setting these repercussions could be observed more closely.

Beginning with the students in the tight-knit community of Telstar, staff provided a closer view at the overall responses. Stated by Telstar High School Principal John Eliot, “I think most people were in shock. Nothing like this has ever happened this close to our school before.”

Ranging from 6th to 12th grade, students were in disbelief, having a hard time dealing with an unimaginable first exposure to this violent action. Along with this, SAD 44 Superintendent Mark Kenney mentioned the displays of empathy shown to one another as students and staff worked to persevere through this time.

“I think the trends were varied in the fact that some people had feelings, connections, and loss with the event, while others did not. We all had to work to make sure we all were being empathetic to the tragedy and individuals.”

The impact in the school community continues beyond students, into the environment as a whole. In our small town, within our low populated state, this event opened our eyes to the cruel realities that were once hard to consider.

Explained by Kenney, “I think it is a harsh reality that we are not in as much of a protective bubble as we would like to think living in rural Western Maine or Maine in general for that matter. It points out the fact that we cannot take school safety and security for granted ever and that we need to remind ourselves to practice the protocols we have in place to help keep everyone safe.”

While unexplainably heartbreaking, this incident served as a reminder of the importance of reliance, said Telstar Middle/High School Social Worker Kristen Powell, “The biggest reminder from this awful incident is that tragedy can happen anywhere. But in the turmoil, we can also find the helpers and the people we can rely on.”

Through this stressful time, staff also had individual responses and waves of strong emotion on a personal level. Closely relating to the shock of the students, Eliot shared, “The cruelty of some humans is truly unbelievable. This cruelty never ceases to shock me.” Similarly, Kenney also found this event to be a horrifying realization, “I am sad to say that I think the events in Lewiston took away a lot of innocence for our state and local area. This was the type of tragedy you watch on the news and empathize with but think it would never happen here.”

When asked to compare their own high school careers to the worries of our current community, each staff member shared echoing responses. Stated by Powell, “I think I can confidently say that I never worried about a potential mass shooting when I was a child. It was a simpler time with simpler problems. That isn’t to say there weren’t worries and fears, but I think they were not as complex as they are now.” A parallel reply from Eliot, “Growing up in the ’70’s/’80’s I never had to think about this kind of violence.”

This event was jarring for the entirety of our community. Students and staff were left in disbelief at this tragedy occurring in our innocent and previously quiet state. As we fall into the new year we will continue to work through the everlasting repercussions of this tragedy in our strong community.

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