San Jose

SJ High School Students Put on Moving Play Despite Loss of Theater Program

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Despite losing their theater program, students at Mt. Pleasant High School in San Jose banded together for a student-run performance about a heavy topic.

The students said they’re shedding light on an issue every kid now has to deal with — school shootings.

“It’s super hard because we’ve never been through what these characters are going through,” one student performer said.

The play, “Declaration” is completely student-run. It follows high schoolers on the day of a school shooting and shows how it impacts them.

Behind door barricades, some imagine their futures if they live. Others promise to be better people.

It’s the first time the play is running in the Bay Area, but students know it portrays a reality around the country.

“It’s really unfortunate because our parents didn’t really think about that, but we were born into it,” said Sierra Plares, the Drama Club co-president.

Last week, the school principal coordinated a campus-wide conversation about the play and the topic of school shootings.

“If we know somebody needs help, somebody says something they shouldn’t, somebody’s going through something difficult or somebody is posting something negative, then it’s your responsibility as a member of our community to say something and do something,” said Martha Guerrero, the principal of Mt. Pleasant High.

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