History in the making, tragedy striking the country of Ukraine left and right. While America may not be physically affected by the damage Russia is doing to Ukraine, that does not mean it isn’t having an emotional effect on citizens, specifically Lake Shore Students. 

Terror in Ukraine is flooding the students here at Lake Shore have a lot to say about how they feel about the conditions these innocent people are being forced into. Students at Lake Shore may not be directly involved with the situation in Ukraine, but that doesn’t mean they cannot bring more attention and awareness to the cause by using their voices. 

Emily Tolcer, a Sophomore, said, “I think it’s a really sad situation and it’s been on my mind and worrying me a lot.” 

Tolcer continues, “It hits pretty close to home because of the fighting being near Romania, I have some distant family there and some connections to Romanian citizens that are helping refugees currently.” 

Manny Johnson, a Sophomore, also had quite a bit to say on the topic of Ukraine. Johnson felt especially remorseful due to the fact that innocent lives are being taken and affected on both sides when none of them are even involved in the conflict. 

Johnson recalled, “I have seen so many videos of people speaking on their evacuation stories, and I have seen pictures of kids with their moms that are dead and their dads are fighting for their country, likely unknowing the status of their families.”

Johnson also referred to videos he viewed on Tiktok. He spoke about the mass amount of awareness and videos about the situation circulating on the app. 

Addison Spear, a Sophomore, had an opinion that is likely shared amongst a lot of people in the U.S. 

She states, “The stuff going on in Ukraine is absolutely gut-wrenching. Innocent people are being murdered over the ownership of land. Not a single life is worth any of the conflict they are being destroyed for.” 

Spear then greatly expressed how important she thinks it is that this whole war and conflict needs to come to an end. 

Spear stated she believes, “No matter what fight any government is getting involved in, innocent lives being lost is a lose-lose situation for everyone.” 

Lucille George, a Sophomore, admitted she knows the conflict is not affecting her personally, however, she said she felt awful for all the people’s lives that were being destroyed by it. 

George said, “There’s no reason why innocent people should be dying because of a government dispute over land.” 

She also addressed the people who have friends and family within Russia and Ukraine who want no part of the conflict being forced on them by Putin and the Russian government. She continues, “ I feel terrible for the people with family in Ukraine and Russia who have to watch their loved ones die with little to no way to help them.” George ended her discussion by giving even more of her sympathy to the people of Ukraine, and the ones in Russia who strongly oppose Putin’s ideals and are suffering for taking a stand against him. 

Christina Johnson, a Sophomore, added, “I have noticed the war between Ukraine and Russia has been very chaotic lately.”

The death toll in Ukraine is currently 902 (at the time this article was written), devastatingly close to 1,000 innocent lives claimed from this horror show, and already over a thousand citizens injured. Johnson also brought up the immense amount of families in Ukraine that have lost homes, happiness, and faith in a better life overall. 

Ukraine is in a dark place right now. While we may not be able to do anything about it as individual citizens in the U.S., that doesn’t mean we can’t use our voices to bring more awareness and support to the cause.