Colonie High School Students and Staff React to War Between Russia and Ukraine

By Hailey Lotz

March 2, 2022

On February 24 Russia invaded Ukraine, consuming headlines worldwide. This news coverage has caused worry in the school population about the state of the world and prompted many conversations about the war’s consequences.

Ms. Meglino, a teacher at South Colonie High School, said that she has seen a lot of news coverage about this crisis, especially in the last week. She’s read stories about tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the last couple of months, but they haven’t been very prominent in news feeds until now, she said. She gets her news coverage from the AP News website and daily articles sent to her email by The Skimm.

An anonymous student said that she hasn’t heard much about the Russia and Ukraine conflict until recently because she doesn’t pay close attention to news coverage on foreign conflicts until it gets extreme.

However, information consumed by faculty and students is not strictly formal news coverage; social media plays an important role in awareness as well. Ms. Meglino said that she has seen a couple of videos from Ukraine shared over social media by both celebrities and people she knows personally.

“Social media sometimes allows us to be more empathetic, however in the last 24 hours I am seeing a shift from ‘let’s all pray for Ukraine’ to ‘who’s fault is it?’ And now it’s, again, polarized, Trump vs Biden, and becoming about something it’s really not,” Ms. Meglino said.

Colonie’s high school students have said that they were made aware of the events mostly through social media along with some viewership of American news outlets. Based on this, it is likely that students utilize social media to receive information more than faculty do.

Most of the interviewees said that they understand the gist of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but parts of their history remain a little confusing. Several students have said that they were not aware of any tension between the two countries before recent events.

Many people stated that they have participated in conversations among peers about this crisis. Ms. Meglino said that she has talked to family more so than friends, and students described discussing the conflict in multiple classes, especially history.

All of those interviewed said that they have had some nervousness over the consequences of the conflict that would impact their own lives directly.

Ms. Meglino and some students said that they are worried about an increase in the prices of resources, especially gas. Already, higher gas prices have affected Colonie students and staff.

One junior said that she was nervous about the US becoming involved in the conflict, but some of that anxiety has decreased.

However, one anonymous student said, “I was nervous about US involvement, but now I think that we won’t get caught up in a lot of military conflicts because Biden won’t send troops to help in Ukraine and I don’t think that Putin will try to attack NATO land.”

Additionally, Ms. Meglino stated, “I also hope that it’s like we’re distracted by Russia so we’re not paying attention to things happening in China or North Korea, those other places of concern too.”