We've come a long way

In fifth grade, a classmate and a kid from another class were killed while playing in a gravel pit.

In high school, a kid was killed when his car exploded, if I recall. Both he and his twin brother were in our class.

Senior year a kid who had been in our class throughout school until he fell back a grade in high school, was killed with another local kid who had graduated a year or two earlier.

I have a bad memory, but I don't recall much more than an announcement and brief remarks at school in regards to any of those deaths. It's quite different now, and that's a good thing. The measures being taken right now in Milton--things that are unfortunately commonplace in schools today--seem like they would be important for kids. I say seem because, though nothing was done to counsel or comfort my classmates and I, I don't recall any really strong negative impact. Not beyond normal human reaction, anyway.

Put in their situation, I would hope to have as much help as teachers have in these situations today.