On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, there was an insurrection at the Capitol. The riot was incited by a Trump rally, and the walls of the Capitol building were breached by the domestic terrorists at around midday. Many, including in the Mountain Lakes community, spent the night glued to their TVs, watching the news for hours. However, at the end of the night, the terrorists in the Capitol did not prevail and Joe Biden’s election was certified by Congress (not without the protest of 6 Republican senators and more than half of the Republicans in the House of Representatives).
Although several leaders in D.C. maintained their support for the President and the objection to the certification of the 2020 presidential election, several lawmakers took a stand against the events on Wednesday. Even Trump’s former supporters, such as Lindsay Graham and Mitch McConnell, spoke out against the attack instigated by the President.
After such a horrific, hate-fueled assault on the world’s oldest democracy, several students had opinions about the event itself and the school’s reaction. Read on below to see how the students of MLHS are reacting to Wednesday’s vicious attack on the Capitol.
Response in Mountain Lakes
While in some classes, the domestic terrorism was addressed, many teachers conducted class as usual without a mention of the events of the previous day. It is important to note that many Mountain Lakes High School teachers likely feel that there is no time to spare in class, especially in a remote-learning setup. However, the amount of fear that is felt by students who are living through a global deadly pandemic, an unprecedented insurrection of the Capitol, and a myriad of other events, is dangerously high, and we look to the people we respect most for comfort.
It was also a difficult day for our country with the situation that took place at the Capitol building in Washington, DC. We need to remember that we are all Americans no matter what nationality, religion or race we may be… Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.“
-Mr. Mangili’s message in his email that was addressed to the student body on Thursday, the day after the assault on the Capitol.
Student Responses to the Crisis in D.C.
Here are what students had to say about their feelings after the violence in D.C. on Wednesday:
Additionally, students were polled via social media about their thoughts on how the school has addressed Wednesday’s events over the past two days. Here is a compilation of statements from students about the discussions that did—or in most cases did not—take place in school following the attack:
Some students felt that not talking about this attack on American democracy was an exercise in complacency and one that needs to be remedied in order to move forward as a community:
Final Thoughts During Scary Times
After such a crisis, it is imperative that we completely renounce the violence and destruction at the Capitol. Our only hope is that we can grow from this tragedy by learning about what happened, why it happened, and how to stop it from happening again.
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Thank you for taking the time to focus on this important issue.