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Students: no safe haven photo by Bob Pennell North Medford High School security guard Ken Thompson, on bench at right, watches as students gather during morning break Friday. Valley isn't immune from school violence, they say, some aren't worried BY JONEL ALECCIA, MELISSA MARTIN AND JOHN DARLING If it can happen in Jonesboro and Paducah and Springfield and Littleton, it can happen here. And there's not much anyone can do about it. That sentiment was prevalent on high school campuses across Jackson County this week, as students pondered another school shooting in another small town. Students from Medford, Ashland and Eagle Point said Friday they were under no illusions that their communities were safe from the kind of violence that left 15 people dead and many injured in Colorado Tuesday. "I mean, we've had things happen where people have been almost electrocuted here," said Amanda Sargent, a junior at North Medford High School. "I don't think there's a thing you can do about it." Added her friend Hawley Puett: "I can see it happening in Medford. It's all happening in small towns." The tragedy was widely discussed at North this week. Students watched President Clinton address school safety on Channel One. They heard a counselor reminding students what to do if they hear gunshots -- stay in the classroom, lock doors, hide under desks. And during another discussion, students talked about whether they would report a student who showed signs of violent behavior. The campuswide discussion about the shooting helped North senior Becky Walker feel safer. "It made me feel secure knowing the teachers and counselors were taking it seriously and taking precautions," she said. Still, most kids said they don't feel personally threatened. "No, it's not going to happen here. This is a pretty good school. I'm new here and don't have friends yet, but I can see these are good people here," said South Medford High junior Ryan DuPre. "There's nothing here that makes me feel in danger," said North senior Matt Worden. "To me, this school feels very safe." It is, asserted Ken Thompson, a security guard hired to patrol the quad outside Worden's classroom. "I think if something happened during class time, they would lock down the rooms," he said. "We have procedures. Besides, it could happen at McDonald's. It could happen at the mall." A few students said they felt slightly anxious about returning to school the day after the latest shooting in Littleton. "It kind of makes you wonder about your classmates," said Dan Fleming, a North High junior. "It's bad. It's scary," said Ashland High sophomore Nicole Brandon, "because one day you go to school and you might not come back." Walker also said she was afraid to go to school this past week. But she says her faith helped her walk on campus and cope with her fears. "Mostly I've been praying about it. I have my friends with me so it's not like I'm there all alone." The immediacy of television brought the tragedy home to students at Eagle Point High School. School newspaper editor and sophomore Samantha Bates said her journalism classmates were gathered around the TV Tuesday afternoon. "It was different this time because we got to see it actually playing out," she said. "It was a lot more real. You could see the people were hurt as they were coming out of the school." Young people contacted had few suggestions for preventing school shootings, although most felt that stiffer security measures such as metal detectors weren't warranted at their school. "I just think administrators should pay more attention to people who who keep to themselves," said North senior Brett Watson. Others pointed fingers at absent parents, television, movies and "dissing" (disrespect) between groups at school as part of the problem. "It happened because of parents who aren't around for their kids," said South's DuPre. "None of the students communicated with them. They knew they were doing wrong, but they were in a lot of pain." "They saw it on TV and said, `That's a good idea,"' said South junior Alex Reinwald. "TV promotes it." South Freshman Desta Harmon added, "Some people think they can put others down and it won't affect them, but maybe they (the insulted students) feel unloved, then you don't want to do good, then you don't feel like living and you get mad and want to take it out on others." Sure there are distinct groups at school, students said -- preppies, nerds, jocks, skaters, hicks, g's and grungies, to name a few -- but they're nothing threatening. "They just dress that way for attention," said Ashland High sophomore Jessica Peterson of kids who favor body piercing, baggy pants and chains. "They are not an isolated outgroup, like in Littleton." Added Ashland junior Jeff Phillips: "They're not dangerous." But even tight security and constant counseling couldn't prevent a determined assassin. And several said the Littleton shooting left little mark on their own lives. "It don't bother me none," said Russ Nelson, 17, a junior at North. Across campus, North junior Wes Towne, also 17, agreed: "I just don't think we should, like, worry about it," he said. While the opportunity to talk it all out has been helpful, North's Walker said she will be glad to change the subject. "I've been hearing so much that it's making me depressed," Walker said. "You can only hear so much before you're scared out of your mind." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA