Several students saw it video In the middle of the class. Others pulled out their phones as they left school and found themselves watching the video over and over again. Some teachers suspended lessons to discuss the horrifying news.
Almost instantly Charlie Kirk He was assassinated at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, and the news – filmed in horrifying detail on video – sent shockwaves from classrooms everywhere. Regardless of the political opinion of the teen, Everyone knew Kirk.
In a high school class in Fork, Spain, Utah, students learned of the shooting, and chatter spread on Wednesday, starting to wonder if Kirk is alive or dead. The ban on mobile phones meant that many students did not learn Kirk’s fate until the final Bell.
“By the end of the day, I was exhausted,” said Andrew Upsley, an English teacher. He discussed filming with each of the four classes at Landmark High School about 15 miles south of UVU on Thursday.
With the current political situation No new mobile phonesschool tried to push social media Controversial topics He tells the bystander that the class should focus on basic scholars. Kirk’s shooting defeated it all.
Graphic footage of Kirk’s filming at the Utah College Campus was available Almost immediately onlinecaptured on the phone from several angles. The video shows a direct view of Kirk being shot in slow motion and real-time speed, as his body recoils and blood gushs out of his neck. The videos were easily found on X, Tiktok and Instagram.
Many teens say they feel hurt by what they see. They couldn’t escape videos that pop up on their social media feeds or are given to them by friends and classmates. Some teenagers posted warnings urging people not to click on Kirk’s video.
Apsley’s 19-year-old received a horrifying video of Kirk’s death in a message from a friend. The video was “very traumatic,” Apsley said, as his child has autism and it’s difficult to handle emotions. The incident became an educational moment for Apsley students.
“I know we want to be the first and we want to be the person who shares the information that other people rely on,” Apsley recalls telling his class. “But at the same time Not everyone is well equipped To treat violent things like that in graphics. ”
Students were coordinated everywhere to highlight the global reality of social media.
In Canada, the Adam Groves were in college writing class when Kirk saw the headline for Reddit, who was shot. He didn’t share Kirk’s political views, but “my heart sank and I was right on the edge,” said Groves, a student at Calgary’s Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He swiped through the comment immediately and felt overwhelmed by fear and fear. Still, he left the classroom to watch the video.
Groves, 19, grew up watching his father play video games with violent images, but he was impressed by the immediacy of the video and the desperate response of the crowd. “I’ve never seen anyone die, and soon everyone in this crowd witnessed it,” he said.
When Groves returned to class ten minutes later, everyone was distracted by the news of the shooting. The student passed his cell phone. Several of his classmates expressed shock. Others who didn’t like Kirk’s views cracked jokes.
Through this, the professor continued his lesson.
Whether students praised Kirk or not, teenagers all over the world knew him from his social media presence. President Donald Trump’s right-wing activist, captured Kirk’s familiar use of social videos, his refreshing response to questions from liberals, and raised his profile Talk events on university campus And online, especially among young men.
San Francisco teenager Richie Trobao disagreed with all of Kirk’s ideas, but praised the activists for “really standing in his beliefs.” Throbao, 17, had been thinking about getting involved with himself politically, but the assassination rethinks him. He is worried that speaking his mind could put him in danger.
The high school senior had a disagreement when a friend sent a message saying that Kirk had been shot. Trovao initially didn’t believe it, so he went to X to confirm, and a video of Kirk’s death was automatically unfolded. His stomach twitched.
“I didn’t think that would happen to anyone who was basically an influencer,” Torobao said. Particularly shocking: some social media comments seemed to celebrate Kirk’s death.
According to Prakar Vassa, senior at Connecticut High School, the response to the video highlights the political disparities and polarization that exist among young Americans. It was the main topic of discussion among classmates in the ranks of his AP government after Kirk’s death.
Raised in an age where violent images were easy to access, 17-year-old Vatsa said when he watched the video while scrolling through social media, he was not too sensitive to Gore, so he was not affected.
“It hurts a bit, but it got worse,” he said.
___
Associated Press Education Compensation receives financial support from several private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP standard For charity work, list of ap.org supporters and funded compensation areas.
