How Well Do We Know Anyone?

By Andrew Robinson

It’s been over ten years since Dylan and Eric entered Columbine High School armed with semiautomatic weapons and explosives with the intent to harm and kill their fellow students. In that time we’ve come to know those killed in the tragedy, we’ve cheered and supported those injured as they defied the odds and took back their lives. We’ve seen classes resume and students graduate. We’ve welcomed new teachers and said goodbye to old friends. We’ve held vigils and called for moments of silence and even shouted, “We Are Columbine.” We’ve heard from every witness, officer and expert. We’ve read countless books, watched hours of television coverage and even scoured the Internet. We’ve tightened our belts, increased security and changed the face of modern education. All in the name of Columbine.

Through it all, we’ve wondered why. Why did they do it? What turns a teen into a murder? We point fingers, claim to know the truth, yet are no closer to resolution. But we persist. We write books, publish studies and make movies yet we can’t answer the one question we’ve wanted answered for ten years…why?

Seemingly everyone involved with Columbine with the means and the motive to speak publicly about it has, with two exceptions, Dylan and Eric’s parents. For over ten years the parents of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris have remained silent and have lived well outside of the public eye. The only statement given by either family was part of a deposition, which has since been sealed due to the terms of an out of court settlement.

Until now.

Susan Klebold has written an essay for O Magazine (Oprah Magazine) about her son Dylan, that fateful day at Columbine and how she’s spent the past ten years asking herself the same question; why?

It is not my intention to paraphrase or editorialize Susan Klebold’s words for I feel her struggles, emotions and message are far too important to be summed up by a simple filmmaker. If you wish to read Mrs. Klebold’s essay please venture to your nearest newsstand and pick up the November issue of O Magazine.

The initial response to Mrs. Klebold’s essay has been positive, which I find encouraging though I’m sure there are those out there that do not share my view(s) and/or feel Mrs. Klebold’s outlet for breaking her silence wholly appropriate. It seems ten years can do a lot more than simply heal old wounds…it can provide perspective. There is one topic or point that Mrs. Klebold touches upon that I consider worthy of further discussion and exploration and that is the fact that she, like many of us, was caught completely off guard despite the perpetrator being her own son. She simply didn’t know.

This simple statement resonated with me for it’s a viewpoint and a topic that has been on my mind for years following the attack. How well do we ever really know someone? It’s one thing to apply that question to a stranger or someone we just met, however it becomes more troubling when we apply it to loved ones or dear friends. In Mrs. Klebold’s case, the unknown took the form of her son’s deep depression and anguish, which many experts agree is one of, if not the central cause of Dylan’s participation in the attacks. The fact that Mrs. Klebold stresses she had no inkling that her son was headed down such a dark road is bound to infuriate some and reignite those who believe parents either know or should know everything about their children.

I say, not true.

I could just about fill the Grand Canyon with what my parents don’t know about me, especially when it comes to my years spent as a student at Columbine High School. I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. It’s in our DNA to keep certain happenings and/or facts private or away from those of authority, especially among teens. Is it right? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but it doesn’t alter the fact that it’s a universal phenomenon and one that Mrs. Klebold now knows all too well.

Should we blame the parents of those who would kill or commit violent acts against their fellow human? In some instances it may be appropriate, but a blanket rational it is not. I’ve argued that parents, or any authoritative figure for that matter, often take the brunt of the blame when it comes to violent crimes when the perpetrator is no longer among the living to shoulder the blame themselves because as a culture we still demand our pound of flesh. In our thirst we often forget that the perpetrators of these violent acts are people too, people often with families and/or loved ones that are equally devastated not only at the loss of their child but by the knowledge of what they’ve done. We’re not wrong in wanting justice, understanding and closure we just have a tendency to seek it at the cost of rationale and compassion, which is its own type of violence.

But getting back to my earlier point about teens keeping things from their parents. I realize that my comment about it being in our DNA is more anecdotal than factual, for communication, even the lack thereof, is a learned behavior. We can ask how well do we know our children but must realize children have every right to ask, how well do they know their parents?

Before I go any further I should point out that I am not a parent, while I have spent considerable time helping raise my two younger brothers I have no child of my own, therefore can only sympathize with what parents must feel and/or go through. I know at times my brothers have viewed me in a more parental light, no doubt in response to our drastic age differences, and I know I have done the same. And just like my parents there is an awful lot I do not know about my brothers just as there is an awful lot they do not know about me.

When I was growing up it wasn’t the parent’s job to be their child’s best friend, it was their job to be their parent and parents knew everything about everything and always knew best. Over time we’ve gotten away from that, which is probably a good thing, because I believe growing up in a household that doesn’t allow for the questioning of authority or ideas, albeit in a responsible and respectful way, is detrimental to a child’s development. All to often our views of the world are handed to us and/or heavily shaped by our parents and simply accepted without really knowing why. One could argue that it is a parent’s job to help shape and guide their children in preparation for life so as not to make the same mistakes they did or their parents did. Yet, how many of those “mistakes” are ever truly shared with children to serve as a backdrop and illustrate a reason to the why?

Case in point, a few years ago I worked on a marketing campaign for a documentary called “The Killer Within,” which told the story of an elderly man, Bob Bechtel, and his family. Bob was an upstanding citizen and an all around good guy. He had a beautiful wife of thirty plus years and children who turned out to be loving, compassionate, educated and successful individuals. He built a wonderful life for himself and his family yet they didn’t know that all of Bob’s efforts were born out of his need for atonement because of what he had done fifty years prior while away at college. Bob Bechtel shot and killed his roommate, while he slept, before venturing out onto the campus to kill more of his fellow classmates. Bob was eventually apprehended and charged with the brutal murder, however because he was 17 at the time, a minor, Bob served only a year for his crime before being released. He then spent the next fifty years doing everything in his power to make up for his actions. A quality he stressed and passed onto his children without fail and without them ever knowing the true reasons behind it.

Now, I know this is an extreme case but I believe the point to be valid. We never really know everything about those we share our lives with, no matter how connected or open we believe we are. Mrs. Klebold didn’t know just as Mr. Bechtel’s family didn’t. It all comes down to communication and trust.

As sons and daughters we have to communicate with our parents or those in a position to help us with our problems and trust that our views will not be used against us or as fuel to pass judgment. As parents or persons of influence and/or authority we have to respect every viewpoint, regardless if we agree with it or not, and be willing to share our own experiences and feelings no matter how painful or fallible it may make us seem or feel. That is what true communication is, for the only way we can hope to be safe and protect one another is through the open sharing of ideas and experiences that will create a common ground from which we can work from together.

In the case of Dylan Klebold and his mother perhaps the communication could’ve been better. Perhaps it could’ve shed light onto the reasons surrounding Dylan’s depression and allowed for both Dylan and his mother to work together towards a positive end, however and for whatever reason, Dylan felt he had to face his problems alone. I cannot answer nor will I speculate as to what Dylan’s reasons were other than to say I feel for Mrs. Klebold and her constant struggle for answers and closure as she learns about her son through what wasn’t communicated. I do not blame Mrs. Klebold for her son’s actions and applaud her efforts to help those battling depression so others can avoid the pain that she, like countless others, have endured.

I would like to take these last moments to urge anyone out there who is battling depression or knows of someone who may be battling depression and/or contemplating suicide to reach out, either to a friend or loved one or to any of a number of organizations that can provide help. If you or someone you love want to speak to someone about depression and/or suicide please contact the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention or the American Association of Suicidology.


Keywords: How Well Do We Know Anyone, Dylan Klebold, Susan Klebold, O Magazine, Oprah, Columbine High School, Columbine, Depression, The Killer Within, Bob Bechtel, Parents, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Association of Suicidology, Suicide,

April Showers and the Station Fire in Southern California

Everyone,

I know things have been a bit dark on the site and abroad this week and I apologize for that, however due to circumstances outside of my control I, like many others, have been tending to issues related to the massive fires in Southern California.

With regards to the fires, first and foremost everyone involved with April Showers here in Southern California is fine and largely unaffected by the blaze save maybe the horrendous air quality and layer of ash that seems to blanket everything within 20 miles of the fire. However, as some of you may or may not know several of my very close friends, including my fiancée, work and/or volunteer at ranches located in the Angeles National Forrest. Early Saturday morning we received a call from one of the ranches in the Angeles National Forrest, specifically the one my fiancée is directly involved with, and were asked to rush to their location to help with the evacuation. We arrived to less than hospitable conditions, the air was smoky and visibility could, at times, be measured in feet versus miles on a normal day. The fire was not yet upon the ranch nor did we think it would reach us within a day if at all, however we complied with the evacuation order and began the long process of getting everyone and everything to safety. As of Saturday evening the fire had not reached the ranch nor did it appear to be heading our way.

Sunday morning we resumed our evacuation, though it seemed we might be okay as the fire began shifting its path. By mid day however, the fire jumped and we found ourselves square in its path. We hurried everyone and everything out at that point and evacuated the ranch with about 30-45 minutes to spare. From this point I can not say for certain what happened at the ranch for I, along with countless others, were tending to the tasks at hand at a temporary base camp set aside for us beyond the fire line and in relative safety. From what I’ve been told by firemen, police officers and other employees of the ranch is that fire tore through the property shortly after we left and laid waste to most everything save the main houses and larger steel structures. All and all, the fire took all of the vegetation (ground brush to old growth trees), some of the smaller structures including all of the caretakers’ quarters, several service vehicles, water towers and all utility lines. While not a total loss the devastation was vast and in many cases difficult to fathom.

I, along with a few others, returned to the ranch early Monday morning between 2-3 am, several hours after the fire had rolled down the mountainside and laid waste to the property, in order to retrieve necessary supplies not consumed by the inferno. The ranch rests in a small valley and upon our arrival both mountainsides were still on fire while the ranch itself sat smoldering with only little, containable fires, still burning. The atmosphere was hot and humid despite the early morning hour, and the light from the still burning fires surrounding us gave us enough light to see a good portion of the damage. What was once a lush and heavily wooded area now resembled the surface of the moon with a thick layer of ash on the ground and seemingly no signs of life visible as far as the eye could see. The air was thick and the smoke was nauseating.

We retrieved what we could and hurried back down the mountain to base camp. Later that morning, after sunrise (sunrise being a relative term for we haven’t really seen the sun in days due to the smoke) I along with my fiancée went back to the ranch to deliver food to some of the workers on ember watch. At that time the level of destruction became very clear as entire structures, some ten to twenty feet high, reached just inches from the ground, burned or melted by the blaze. Cars resembled marshmallows left over an open flame to long and there were fewer than a dozen trees still standing that will inevitably be cut down for they were hollowed out by the fire. Another sad sight was the sheer number of smaller wild animals, rabbits, squirrels and birds lying dead on the ground, unable to escape the flames. It was a very humbling, heartbreaking and awesome sight that was not only difficult to fathom but believe all together. The simple fact that less than 12 hours prior the property was a veritable oasis of life and now resembled an alien land is still difficult to reason.

Monday and Tuesday everyone remained at base camp working in shifts as we tried to make sure people got sleep and food while caring for the evacuees. Last night and this morning was the first real sleep my fiancée and I got since waking up at 8am Saturday morning. She returned to base camp early this morning while I stayed behind to tend to our animals and the numerous phone calls and e-mails piling up since the news of the fire hitting the ranch broke out.

Again, I want to stress everyone in our circles is fine and despite the devastation the ranch will make a full recovery, though it will take some time. I’ve already received a number of messages and letters from some of you asking how you can help. We are working on ways for people to assist, which includes setting up a rebuilding fund however I don’t have any further details on that at this time. Those of you in the Southern California area not directly affected by the fire should not attempt to travel or go to the fire stricken areas to assist for the situation is hectic enough and your intentions, while good, will be over shadowed by the added presence as the firemen are doing everything they can to move people further and further from the blaze in order to protect everyone’s well being. If you have to do something I would suggest contacting the Red Cross or any number of shelters and donating food, clothing or even money at this time, but do not attempt to insert yourself into the situation physically.

I would like to thank all of you for your concern and well wishes during this difficult time and ask that you keep everyone affected by this horrible blaze in your thoughts and prayers. I would also like to thank the men and women of the Los Angeles County Fire Department as well as all of the other volunteers and emergency workers from near and far who have risked their lives so that others can go on enjoying theirs. To firefighters and all other public servants out there I thank you.

There is some other news brewing pertaining to the film, however I’m going to wait a few days and let things settle down here before diving into all of that for I want us all to be excited and focused on the new developments when the time is right.

I thank you all for your continued support and wish you the very best. Until next time, take care of one another and stay tuned…

Andrew

A Very Special Look at April Showers

Below is a blog post by my former English teacher and mentor, Paula Reed, about April Showers. Paula saw the film and chose to write about it of her own accord, in fact she didn’t share this post with me until just recently. She has been a huge influence in my life, as I’m sure she’s been to countless others, and I’m pleased to be able to share her thoughts will all of you. Paula still teaches at Columbine High School and is a writer of several novels, the next coming in February 2010 I believe.


By Paula Reed

Last night I broke a cardinal rule of mine. The rule is simply this: I do not read books, watch TV shows or movies, or listen to songs about school shootings. This is frustrating to people who want my opinion about particular ones, but this is a boundary I usually keep quite faithfully.

Until a former student who is now in the film industry made an independent film on the subject.

So I downloaded April Showers from iTunes when the movie became available there. (It’s available on Netflix next month.)

I think the movie is thoughtful and well done. Andrew Robinson, the writer/director/former-student-of-Paula’s-for-four-years, changed enough details to keep this from being “the Columbine movie.” There is no centralized place where most of the murders occur; they are spread throughout the building. Still, much of it resonates with my memories. I thought it was slow in places, but that may very well be me. It was, to me, unrelentingly sad, and that slows things down in real life as much as movies.

Andrew has said there are no directly parallel characters, but I know who is an amalgamation of whom. One character has no human parallel, but he is certainly symbolic of the survivor guilt one feels in that situation. It was strange watching Tom Arnold play a blend of Dave Sanders and my former ACE partner—whose name I will not mention out of respect. (My partner was in the computer lab with Andrew when everything happened.) It was really odd watching an actress playing Andrew’s speech coach and saying what I said at Rachel’s funeral, verbatim.

Many of the changes are kindnesses. In the span of a few minutes, Sean (who most definitely parallels Andrew) tells a boy (Nick) that his friend is the killer, and the boy essentially accuses him of lying. Then Sean’s speech coach tells him that April (Rachel) is dead. In actuality, Andrew told me about Rachel, and in a moment of pure emotional stupidity, I accused him of lying. In my life, I have been truly ashamed of my actions on two occasions. That was one of them.

Nick clearly represents Brooks’ experience in the whole ordeal, though not remotely Brooks himself, and the relationship between Sean and Nick bears little resemblance to that between Brooks and Andrew. (Brooks’ name I use because it has been highly publicized anyway.) I have to give Andrew kudos for that. Brooks was on my team for four years, Andrew for three (I recruited him from my freshman English class). The two were rivals in many ways. They were both up for the “team ego” award at one point, so you can imagine the clash there. I thought Andrew presented Nick’s situation well, and he left no doubt of Nick’s innocence for the viewer. I appreciated that, because I loved Brooks just as I loved all the kids from that team. I still do. I always will.

I also appreciated the fact that, at the end, when he dedicates the film to everyone who has lost his or her life in a school shooting, he included shooters who died. I give him full marks for not going for the politically correct path. He knew Dylan. They were in theatre together, one an actor, the other a techie. How could he not include him? And if he included Dylan, how could he exclude any of the others? They were all loved by someone. They were all losses.

Funny. Just the other day, my students were working on outlines. Not one of those incredible teaching days. Just an ordinary one. Still, as I walked around helping kids and listening to their conversations, I was compelled to think about how very much I love all of them. Then the seniors came in that afternoon to take their finals before they bid adieu to high school, and I hugged every one of them. I couldn’t help but think how fortunate I am. My job, minute by minute, day by day, is to love. It doesn’t get any better than that. And my gift is that I can and do love every one of them. Even the kid in ACE who is currently behaving like a complete dork and having a temper tantrum every time we ask him to work (which is—alas—every day). I say this is my gift without the slightest trace of bragging. As I have told more than one bright, arrogant student—the proper response to a gift is not pride. It is gratitude.

I am grateful.


One of Paula’s co-workers, a fellow teacher, wrote the following response.

I also wanted to let you know that we finally got April Showers through our Netflix queue. Wow–powerful stuff. Reading, even a powerful first-hand perspective like yours, always puts a layer of abstraction between us and the reality of it. And while some aspects of film-making do the same thing, it’s still awfully powerful to *see* this kind of thing. As Nick’s father admits, we can’t even imagine what it’s like–but this film went a long way toward putting us there, especially as teachers, identifying both with the teacher-figures and seeing our own students in there. Wow. Anyway, I did want to thank you for bringing that to our attention some months ago as well as giving us added depth through your perspective on it–it was like a special feature that wasn’t included on the disc! — John

Coming Soon to a Living Room or a Computer Screen Near You

For months now there has been quite a discussion brewing amongst the April Showers camp regarding online/digital versus traditional. If you’ve been a active follower of this site I’m sure you know which side of the discussion I fall on, however my willingness to try new things has caused others to scratch their head in wonder. Truth be told, my views on the future of Hollywood turning digital isn’t entirely new nor wholly original, for many people, people far smarter than I, have been saying the same thing for years. It’s not a matter of how it’s a matter of when and the when is now.

I was reading an article on The Huffington Post (syndicated from The New York Times) this morning with the title “A-List Stars Flailing at the Box Office,” written by NY Times writer Brooks Barnes. Now, on the surface that title seemingly has little to do with the advancement, or encroachment, of digital in Hollywood, yet as I read I found that was precisely what the article was about. The article began by addressing the issue of dwindling star power in Hollywood, citing that some of the most star studded films of 2009 have largely been box office failures (though I’m sure will make a mint on downloads and DVD) and that the three most successful films of this year have been headlined by solid actors but no one near the status of a Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt, mainly Shia LaBoeuf, Ed Asner and Daniel Radcliffe. A few industry insiders went on to suggest that dwindling star power and dwindling box office receipts are directly related to audiences not wanting to leave their living rooms or computer screens and social network sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The social networks, Twitter in particular, were blamed because it’s become increasingly hard to over come early reviews or word of mouth, even in a weekend because audiences can and do Twitter from their cell phones while in the movie saying “don’t waste your time.” It used to be a studio would spend months touting a film with glowing reviews and/or slick advertisements coaxing audiences into theaters to see the next “it” movie only to have them walk out at the end of the show and wish for two hours of their life back. Still, before Twitter and Facebook, that negative word of mouth took time to catch on and a film could expect to at least eek out a good weekend if not two, however now the reaction is near instantaneous as a film’s gross can literally plummet in one weekend. However, the opposite has to hold true as well, if a film is good Twitter and Facebook are remarkably effective tools to mobilize new audiences to seeing a film they otherwise would’ve skipped. At the end of the day, it all comes down to making a good product, which judging by some of the so-called Hollywood insiders quoted in the NY Times article, studios are reluctant to want to do.

The second factor for the downturn of star power was equated to sites like Hulu and YouTube, for more and more consumers are staying home and streaming content to their home televisions or computer screens instead of venturing to their local Cineplex. Well duh, Hulu and YouTube are free and other services like Netflix and iTunes, while not free, are cheap compared to the theatrical alternatives. Furthermore, with so many people owning HDTV’s and home theaters these days the true cost of going to a theater goes beyond ticket and concession prices. More and more big ticket movies are finding their way onto DVD, iTunes, Netflix etc. at alarming rates, some in as little as 60-90 days from the initial theatrical release. Many consumers are willing to wait and frankly I don’t blame them, for the cost of an iTunes download in HD is, on average, less than two adult tickets at your local theater. Minus the monetary savings consumers are also looking at the simplicity of staying home on a Friday night versus fighting crowds, chair kicking teens, cell phones, dirty theaters and downright raunchy bathrooms. It makes sense and while Hollywood is still reluctant to admit it, they seem to be warming up to the idea and possibilities. Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger’s new film “The Burning Plain” is premiering on DirectTV’s Video On Demand service in both SD and HD before releasing in theaters. Bill Pullman’s latest film “Surveillance” released in a similar fashion though it debuted on Amazon.com and AmazonVOD before its limited theatrical release. For more proof that change is coming, Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM have decided to cash in on the Internet and their massive film library by launching their own online movie channel called Epix. Epix is currently in beta testing but promises to offer first run, blockbuster and classic films from the three studios’ vast libraries online.

However, movies aren’t the only ones seeing a shift among viewers, television has also seen a boom in online viewing. Forbes recently wrote an article showcasing a growing trend among budget conscious and tech savvy consumers where by customers are abandoning their cable or satellite services in favor of the Internet and sites like Hulu. In today’s slowly rebounding economy $35-$100 a month in cable/satellite television expenses is extreme when the same content can often be found online via Hulu and the like mere hours after its original broadcast. Speaking from personal experience I have downgraded my television service three times in the past year because I found it was cheaper to purchase season passes via iTunes to my favorite TV shows versus pay for three or four different channel packages in order to obtain the three networks I actually wanted to watch. For a one time fee, usually between $15-$30 dollars per pass, I get the entire season, commercial free, downloaded to my AppleTV. Once the episode is downloaded I can store it on my hard drive or burn the episodes to disc for a later date or even transfer them to my iPhone to watch on the go. If I’m unwilling to buy a season pass or a season pass isn’t offered there’s always Hulu, which is wonderful for shows like The Daily Show with John Stewart and clips of Saturday Night Live.

The reason all of this online/download viewing is a problem for the studios is they haven’t figured out a way to monetize it just yet. Well, they haven’t figured out a way to turn it into a windfall of cash the way they like. Truth is, the Internet and downloads aren’t going to create a windfall scenario for that’s the nature of the beast. Consumers are turning to alternative sources for content to save money and time and the second they feel something is become to corporate, controlled or over priced they move on. Internet viewing and downloads isn’t about weekend box office and one day grosses, it’s about quantity; reaching as many viewers as possible over a longer period of time at price or through a service that is advantageous to them not the studios. Studios can do this better than any of us indie folk for they have vast libraries of content which they can leverage and attract new audiences only they’re reluctant in some cases because they’re worried by doing so they’ll somehow devalue the property. However, with studios slashing production budgets the initial up front cost of making a film is going to be drastically lower moving forward, hopefully resulting in more and more of the big boys wanting to take risks in bringing said films to market in new and interesting ways that benefit you and I.

So while we continue to explore new and exciting ways to bring April Showers to you via more traditional means, in stores, television etc. we continue to pioneer and look ahead to non-traditional means with which to bring you our film.

We weren’t the first, nor will we be the last. Change isn’t coming. It’s already here.

That’s it for now; I thank you all for your continued support and wish you all a great weekend. Until next time, take care and stay tuned…

Andrew

Intense, powerful “April Showers” is an eye-opener for any community

For any school that thinks "it can’t happen here," this film will show that the potential consequences of school violence are just too high to ignore, particularly in a small town where the high school is a center of the community as well as the main social venue in kids’ lives.

"April Showers" shows cascading consequences. From initial shock trauma to media stress and family disintegration, and then on to a chain reaction of emotional and spiritual crises. It’s a challenging experience, and ultimately a rewarding one — if you can turn to the person next to you and talk late into the night about a shared future. I’ve been at screenings where police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical workers — even SWAT team members — watch, slowly shake their heads, and shed a tear as the personal details of the teenagers unfold in "April Showers." I told one of them something I heard a Colorado congresswoman say: "Teachers today have to learn to better respond to this kind of incident, and stay calm when inside they’re falling apart." He answered, "Don’t think for a second we don’t feel the same way inside. This rips our guts out."

"We went to schools like this one," he explains, "and now we have our own kids there, too." I told him, "Teachers need to hear that. So do students."

It’s especially tough for responders to arrive at a scene like this. They feel the vulnerability of the school. It’s a "soft target," in the parlance of Homeland Security. When a school gets hit with a violent critical incident it’s a direct hit on the cornerstone of the community.

This is why "April Showers" is starting to be used by school administrators in school safety training, and just last week I was copied on a request from the Sheriff’s Office of a major county in Colorado to use a dozen video clips from the movie in SWAT team training. Not that they were interested in just the law enforcement procedures, but felt that the film could also help officers understand more about recovery and prevention, and hopefully, better preparedness.

I was a state senate aide working on school safety issues when "April Showers" came along. At the beginning of 2009, Colorado started getting ready for the 10th anniversary of the Columbine tragedy. The local sheriff’s office was apprehensive about the event. Would the media come in and again pick at the scabs?

But then Andrew Robinson, writer-director of "April Showers," showed up with his film about survival, and what I saw this year was how he helped a growing movement afoot in Colorado to focus on the future of safer education rather than the unresolved grief of the past. And rather than promote his indie project as an auteur, he was more interested in being part of a larger conversation. As a result, he soon became a highly sought-after central voice in the national conversation about the Columbine anniversary.

His interviews with the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NBC, CNN, Los Angeles Times, FOX News, Associated Press, and others, had a group problem-solving quality to them. And then his engagement with younger moviegoers on Facebook, YouTube, and even his own blogs on CNN and his movie site showed how kids are connecting with this film in unexpected ways. For instance, students at the high school where he shot "April Showers" watched the finished film, created a mindmap of the issues they saw, wrote journals — and this led many of them to make new promises to themselves. They wanted to make a difference.

So, although you may enjoy "April Showers" purely as a drama (with a tempo much like Oliver Stone’s in "World Trade Center"), I invite you to know that teachers, administrators, responders, lawmakers, parents — and teens — are taking to heart the movie’s themes and turning them into personal challenges. And they’re ready to use "April Showers" as a tool for change.

In the words of a Boulder safety official, "If we ever show this movie to a community group, we sure as hell better have our act together, because when the lights go up people are going to have some pretty tough questions. And I hate to think of the egg we’d have on our face if we don’t have any answers."



Post Contributed by John Simmons of School Safety Partners