Otwell Middle School in Forsyth County is a world away from Brussels, but Tuesday’s terrorist attacks there were on the minds of students.
“Do you feel safe?,” teacher Jeanna Black asked an eighth-grade class.
One half of the students raised their hands.
“How many of you do not feel safe?,” she followed up.
The rest of the class raised their hands.
Fear and faith were words and emotions felt in Black’s class during a robust discussion about the attacks.
Black’s class typically discusses current events on Wednesdays. In recent weeks, much of the conversation has centered on the presidential election. The students in her class were all born after 9/11. Where schools once taught students to bend below their desks in case of a nuclear bomb, schools like Otwell give students tips on how to escape a terrorist attack.
Ryan Gamble, 13, was symbolic of the uncertainty felt among many of the 20 students in Black's class. He recalled how Philips Arena was a rumored terrorism target in November after the attacks in Paris. But Gamble is also confident in the capability of local and federal law enforcement officials to protect the public from terrorists.
“I personally feel both,” Gamble said when asked if he feels worried or safe.
Classmate Aslyn Villeda, 14, is worried. Her family is planning a trip this summer to Mexico to visit relatives.
“I don’t feel safe,” she said. “What if they attack the Atlanta airport? It could be here or it can happen in Mexico.”
Both students were grateful to have a conversation about the attacks.
“It’s helpful to know what’s going on in the world,” Villeda said.
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