Superintendent, Students Gaining Strength Together

On the day that marks one year since the Marshall County High School shooting, Superintendent Trent Lovett said his main concern is for the students and teachers.

"Students are at all different levels, and we're just mainly concerned about them and their mental health and where they are in this long process of healing," Lovett said.

When asked how he has handled the last twelve months, Lovett said it's been a long year and it's not something that he would ever want anyone else to experience. But, Lovett said he gains strength from seeing how the students handle everything. 

He said, "I'm over there every Friday with the metal detector lines and talking with the students, and that gives me an opportunity to gain strength from them and to see the resilience that they have, and again, that gives me strength to make it."

Lovett said as the day drew nearer, he believed he could see a sense of dread in the eyes of some of the kids, and his goal is to meet their needs. That's why he consulted with students about the kind of activities in which they could participate on January 23. Some of the activities are somber or reflective, and some of them are more uplifting, and students can choose where they go, based on where they find themselves in the healing process. 

A first responders appreciation breakfast is at 7:30 am Wednesday, followed by remembrance service in the school for students and parents around 8 am. Students will then go to normal classes until lunch, then will participate in the special activities during the afternoon. A community remembrance service is scheduled for 6 pm at Mike Miller Park. 

When asked whether he and other administrators have shared their experiences, Lovett said he has spoken to several colleagues on the phone, and got to meet Kirk Carpenter of the Aztec, New Mexico School District, where a school shooting took place in December 2017. He's also received encouragement and insight from administrators and survivors at Heath High School, as well as Columbine, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut. 

Lovett said, "We, in kind, reached out to Parkland, Florida. That was very close to ours and had a great deal of attention, and I felt like we owed back to them what others have shown to us - and the kindness."

As for the new school safety bill in the Kentucky General Assembly, Lovett said he's glad legislators are looking at the situation and what can be done. He said a lot of issues that educators would bring up are in the bill, but the biggest issue is how to fund it. Lovett said he's also glad they aren't planning to pass an unfunded mandate that each school system would have to finance, because that would be difficult in many places.