Editorial

On Saturday, April 25, Jakob Wagner opened fire on his hometown prom.

Donald B. Childs, interim district administrator of Unified School District of Antigo, was quoted as saying, “There was no evidence of bullying in this instance whatsoever. There is absolutely no indication that was going on.”

When anyone starts speaking in absolutes, I become suspicious.

Wagner injured two prom-going students before he was shot down by police who were luckily already on the scene.

Wagner lost his life, but the community wonders how far he would have carried out his preplanned shooting if he’d been given the chance.

The shooting left Antigo community in shock, with everyone asking why such a sweet and caring kid would have snapped. Many never saw it coming.

What could have caused Wagner to return to his high school after graduation and specifically target prom, one of the happiest and most memorable occasions for many high school students?

Obviously, there was a problem.

Multiple media sources have interviewed faculty members of the high school as well as friends of Wagner. Each source stated that Wagner was heavily bullied as early as elementary school.

If many people were aware of how Wagner was suffering, why wasn’t it more clearly addressed? Why did it have to come to a high intensity shoot out?

Dylan Yang, a Wausau teen, stabbed and killed thirteen-year-old Isaiah Powell in February of 2015.

This was another case of bottled anger leading to unneeded loss of life.

A year later, the community has come together to show support for the victims through a peace march.

Tou Ger Bennett Xiong, an organizer of the march, told Gannett’s news service, “As a village, we failed these two young people.

In a time when the community should be coming together and acknowledging that it failed Wagner and his victims, why would the district administrator be denying what was so openly acknowledged by the rest of the community?

Why is it that as soon as something devastating happens that could tarnish the reputation of a school, some schools immediately separates themselves or deny any sort of connection with the event?

Schools would not exist without the support of the community. They should keep this modest mindset in times of celebration and in the times of devastation.

Within a mutual bond of transparency and support, we should not be afraid when such tragedies occur. As a collective we should embrace our faults, learn from experiences, and continue to thrive.

Samantha Bradley

Editor-in-Chief

sbrad414@uwsp.edu