High school is supposed to be a time of fun, proms and football games.

For most, high school will hold a warm place in their heart as part of the transition from childhood to what they will become. It shouldn’t be filled with pain and shock, as students learn far too quickly of losses even adults shouldn’t experience. The low value other human beings can place on a life yet-to-be-fulfilled should not be part of their emergence into adulthood.

Recently, Federal Way experienced the tragedy of a student shot and killed by two other young students over a small amount of marijuana. What happens to the thought process that casts aside another’s life so cheaply?

The events could tarnish the youngest of our village for a lifetime.

But this past week, a school district, a community, its students and its parents, led by Superintendent Dr. Tammy Campbell, supported by Mayor Jim Ferrell, and joined by school board and city council members, said, “We will not be defined by this single event.”

The youth rally at Celebration Park last Saturday carried a uniting theme developed by a participating student: “What Makes You Great?” The students answered the question themselves with their talent, their courage and their commitment to rise above the moment, to support each other and to replace the emptiness with a shared maturity they will remember from this day forward. Rather than another forum that frequently turns into an accusation exchange, Campbell forged a visual celebration of what is right in our community.

We knew of the state basketball championships, but we didn’t know of the academic scholarships, the singing and dancing with a grace that belied their years, or the gift of poetry possessed by those among us so young. The breadth and depth of the talent was inspiring, and the goodness drowned the sadness.

The Easter holiday brought a special meaning, although the students themselves may not comprehend what they have done to prepare themselves for adulthood and for the responsibilities, exhibited by the leaders in the crowd, that they will need to emulate and someday replace.

There are still serious questions to be answered about the crime that made this event so necessary. How did two teenagers get a gun? How did a gun make its way onto school grounds, and are there others? The violence didn’t happen at a school, and the conversation always becomes politically charged when confronting gun-related crimes. But our leaders, both school and city, need to ensure that we are never the headline that could have been prevented. What steps need to be taken so the students we saw this past Saturday can concentrate on making the most of the opportunities school provides, rather than worrying about what another student is carrying in their backpack?

There are never easy answers, but the questions do need to be answered. The previous week, parents at one elementary school sought assistance because of concerning student behavior in their school. Do we need school resource officers at middle and elementary school level?

Campbell should be applauded for her leadership, and Ferrell for his support. Together they need to capture the vitality generated by the impassioned multicultural mosaic our students embody, and they should work together to find the answers. Each life – those that showed their talent, those that showed their appreciation, the one no longer with us and the two whose lives will never be the same – deserve no less than a commitment to a safe school and a safe community. Life is too precious to lose another one.

But while our leaders seek those solutions, we have an awful lot to be proud of in our little corner of the world. Our students will emerge more prepared and more mature. And in some future melancholy moment they will remember this day not only for its sadness, but also for its impact on their growth.

We will not be defined by this one event. We will be defined by each student who answers the question, “What makes you great?”

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is the former mayor of Auburn. He can be reached at bjroegner@comcast.net.