By Jamie Hollopeter

    I feel that the event that has made the biggest impact in my life was the Columbine shootings. It made horror movies suddenly become a reality in our lives. Things like that were unbelievable to most and when it happened, many people were still in denial that this could be possible. Some of the things that happened as a result of this incident were increased security in schools, and people wanting to better understand the type of kids who felt the way the Columbine shooters did.
    Now, if I want to visit the high school that I used to attend, I have to wear a guest nametag around the school, and I am eyed walking through the halls by staff who doesn't know me -- to make sure I have the pass. Even when I was still in high school, people started to focus on how even though we had a teacher watching the doors and who went in and out, anyone could still be carrying anything in with them.
    Medina County had changed in my opinion in mostly the obvious ways: the increase in businesses, traffic, industry, housing, and population. When I was little, KMart was a tiny little store with a lot of clothes, school supplies, and games. Now, there is the Super KMart, with its main attraction being the groceries. Also, you used to have to go to Montrose to go out to eat somewhere nice, but now we have Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday's, Tumbleweed, and Eat ‘N Park. All that is missing now is a mall!
    The greatest advancement: This may sound really cliché, but I would definitely have to say computers and the Internet. It still amazes me how millions of people can be on the Internet at the same time and information is processed so quickly. You really can even get away without going to the library to do research for papers, just by going on the Internet. It is unbelievable how much information is available. I was shocked when my friend who goes to Yale sent me "Paltalk" to download and I was able to talk to him for free through our computers, like we were on the phone. Also, I can look up my classes on the Internet to see if they are closed are not before I schedule them.
    E-mail is the greatest thing ever; I can send a message in an instant and my friends can reply instantly, as well as being able to page my friends through e-mail, rather than calling their pagers long distance.
    Social changes: Social mobility is more apt to occur, due to the fact that many more people are able to attend college, and women are making their way up the ladder in the work force. Women from the generation before me were rarely encouraged to attend college, and by the time I was in high school, it was just a given that I would go. Girls I go to school with are seeing themselves in high-paid positions and working full-time, while the idea of actually having kids is still very abstract.
    Daycares are a bigger part of children's lives and the whole "ancient" view of family values from even just a decade ago is degrading. Families often just eat out or grab fast food in between events in their lives. This is often viewed as a negative aspect in society, but I believe that though it is somewhat of a tragedy that the traditional family is becoming scarce, changes like this are occurring to adapt to the demands of today's society.
    Editor’s Note: Jamie is from Chatham and is a freshman at Ohio University.