So far, there have been at least eight school shootings in the United States this year.
Five occurred on college campuses and three at K–12 schools. Altogether, at least six people have been killed and six others injured, based on analyses from CNN using data from the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week, and Everytown for Gun Safety.
It’s part of a larger trend in America, where school shootings are all too common.
And every school year, students like Lesley Andujar at Danbury’s Broadview Middle School take what they see in the news and channel it into change through Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that helps students, teachers, and parents recognize the warning signs of gun violence, funds critical research into gun safety, and advocates for stricter gun law policies.
Andujar, a seventh grader who has seen sadness and frustration mirrored in her peers, believes the real issue is isolation.
“Maybe … they just need somebody to talk to,” she told the CT Mirror. “They feel alone and they feel isolated.”
This feeling of isolation is one that Sandy Hook Promise counselor Christine Miller has spent years helping children recognize and resolve, using empathy and social skills to foster connections with their classmates.
For Miller, her connection to Sandy Hook Promise is a personal one. The Newton, Connecticut native lived through the Sandy Hook shooting of 2012, in which 20 first-grade children and 6 adult school staff members were killed by a former student.
Through Sandy Hook Promise, Miller is one of many teachers who run free peer-to-peer programs where students are encouraged to speak their minds, talk through their fears, and give speeches on empathy and inclusion. With Miller’s help, Andujar and her classmates have delivered 30 school‑wide presentations.
“This program makes me feel like I am spreading the word and saying what’s supposed to be done,” Andujar said.
Based in Danbury, Connecticut, the program’s curriculum teaches three core steps: see someone alone, reach out and help, and “Start with Hello.”
“I believe in people of all abilities working together, and I look for ways to support, empower, and include students,” Miller told the News Times after winning Danbury Teacher of the Year.
“I believe that kids have a tremendous capacity to understand things in the world and learn better when they’re given opportunities to take on leadership roles and make a difference.”
How To Help End Gun Violence In Schools
- Good: Learn more about how gun violence affects schools across the U.S. and about which prevention strategies actually work. studentsdemandaction.org/school-safety-hub
- Better: Support programs that make local schools, libraries, and youth centers safer by donating to Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit that conducts gun safety research and helps students thrive. sandyhookpromise.org/get-involved
- Best: Contact your elected officials and ask them to support gun safety laws that protect schools and communities. Find policies to advocate for through Everytown For Gun Safety. everytown.org/actions
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Education Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via olga Volkovitskaia
