![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
“The Fallout” highlights the Reality of School Shooting Trauma
HBO’s new movie “The Fallout” shows the terrifying impact that school shootings can have on students.
(Pictured from left to right) Mia, played by Maddie Ziegler, and Vada, played by Jenna Ortega, bond about the horrific experience they both witnessed even though they barely know each other.
April 7, 2022
The 2022 hit movie “The Fallout” expresses the devastating reality of school shootings. Vada Cavell, played by Jenna Ortega, seems like a normal day-to-day teenager. She’s shy and reserved, but loves her best friend Nick, played by Will Rodd. On a seemingly normal day, she gets to school late and heads to the bathroom where she meets the most popular girl in school, Mia Reed, played by Maddie Ziegler, but that’s everything turns sour. This new movie is designed to convey how painful and tragic these situations actually are by giving us insight on the reality of shootings and the way the characters deal with the aftermath; how these stories end up being on our TV one day and forgotten the next. It truly shows how oblivious the world can be to these real world problems.
Movies like “The Fallout” convey the dangerous reality about these situations, going further into the horrifying effects it leaves on kids and adults.
From making a trauma bond with the most popular girl in school, to mourning the loss of so many people, Ortega’s and Ziegler’s performance gives us the raw pain of school shootings and trauma. It seems like everything’s okay on the outside, while laughing and getting gas station snacks, but in reality the hidden feelings of suffering and being afraid to be alone or go to school is frightening.
By showing us the good, the bad, and the ugly, “The Fallout” demonstrates to their audience the reality of school shootings by highlighting terrible things it causes, like PTSD and panic attacks. According to the American Psychiatric Association, around 3.5% of adults in the U.S. are affected with PTSD. Just by showing how the girls have trouble going back to school and falling asleep while completing a simple task, it can help others feel less alone who have gone through traumatic experiences like school shootings.
The movie also promotes that the best way to overcome and deal with the trauma is time and therapy to get help. According to the CDC, more than 19% of Americans get therapy, showing that it’s ok to not be ok.
The movie shows the deep truth and not just what the media portrays. I deeply appreciate Megan Park for directing the movie and for showing us the untold truth of school shootings in America.
You can watch “The Fallout” on the streaming service HBO Max.
![In a historic presidential election, voters nationwide turned out to make their voices heard. Virginia’s 10th congressional district had three key national positions up for election: president, senator, and representative.
In the race for the House of Representatives seat previously held by Democrat Jennifer Wexton, the Republican Party nominated Mike Clancy, while the Democratic Party put forward Suhas Subramanyam, a former Virginia General Assembly Senator. Subramanyam won the seat with a 52% majority.
For one of Virginia’s Senate positions, Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine and Republican challenger Hung Cao faced off. Kaine took the position with a 54% majority.
For the White House, current Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump fought to obtain the 270 electoral votes needed to get the bid. News outlets worldwide tracked the results live, with close attention to seven key battleground states: Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, Georgia, and North Carolina. Trump ultimately crossed the 270-vote threshold early on Nov. 6, with the swing states playing a pivotal role in his campaign’s success.
This election was the first presidential race for many Gen-Z voters, who entered a sharply polarized environment. Adela Booth, mother-in-law of Representative-Elect Subramanyam, traveled from Connecticut to support his campaign, encouraging young voters to engage in the political process. “Vote,” Booth said. “Get involved in politics. Even [if] you don’t think it applies to you, it applies to you. You will carry this debt. It will affect your grandchildren and you have to do something about it. You can’t sit back and watch anymore.”
✏️ and 📷 by Shivu Sathe](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)