To many, the statement, “Ignorance is bliss,” might be true.

Although the majority of students that attend North Hollywood High School are unaware of the recent violence around the area, it is important that they are aware of what’s going on around them, whether or not they even live within the community.

After the recent losses we’ve had in North Hollywood, it would be understandable that people in the area are uneasy, or afraid. There’s always a chance of something bad happening–robberies, fights, shootings, fire, and even murder.

It’s terrifying to think about, and it’s not an everyday thing to think about the possibility it might happen to you, so it comes even more as a shock when it actually does happen–even if it doesn’t harm you directly.

“I didn’t really, like, know about it.” says a freshman student who lives around the area, “The idea of violence is never really on my mind so I didn’t think it was important. But this is pretty scary to hear about–it could happen to anyone.”

But other than those that actually live near the area, how do students that commute a long way to school feel about the violence? Do they even know?

A student who lives a long way from school gives their thoughts, stating, “Oh yeah. I’ve seen lots of bad things happening inside the school, but I’ve never actually heard of anything going on outside. It’s not like I don’t think that North Hollywood is free of violence, it’s just something that most people don’t really deal with daily.”

Those that live in the area, aside from students, have also been unaware. This news might worry parents, as their children are the ones attending the school and are in the area for over seven hours.

“I’m not worried as much. I don’t want to really think about it.” says an adult, who’s been living in the community for a few months now, “If I’m always worrying about what might happen, I’ll just stress more and get more wrinkles!”

Of course, no one wants to be worrying about being in danger. Everyone’s busy doing something more important. Students are usually thinking about schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of their lives.

Safety is a huge issue in most public schools. Students could bring weapons, firearms, and start fights that could seriously injure another person. But that’s not even the biggest concern–there’s teenagers walking home from school, or going on public transportation with random people. Maybe nothing bad has ever happened while doing these mundane things, but it doesn’t mean it can’t.

“It’s kind of scary, you know?” says the freshman, “Even though I’ve never really seen that happen, or experienced it, the possibility it could happen makes me scared.”

North Hollywood isn’t the only area with problems of violence. The insecurity in safety is one of our biggest problems right now, both inside and outside our school.

Students that attend the school often pull pranks and think it’s funny, when it can endanger their peers. Situations like using a firecracker in a crowd of students, putting trash cans on fire, or constantly pulling the fire alarms as a joke, may seem harmless and fun, but could escalate into something even worse. These consequences are usually intentional, but do not distract from the fact that it happened.

Those that come to North Hollywood High School should be aware of what’s happening around them. Not knowing about it might make you feel safer, but you’ll only be unprepared in case of an emergency.

“I get nervous every time [child’s name] goes to school, because I don’t know what’s going to happen. But there’s really nothing I can do about it, just have to remind him to be safe and hope for the best.”

Our safety, as students, is never promised. Instead of relying on others to keep us safe, we should always be aware and up-to-date about our own community.