Struggle to succeed: Students battle against school violence

ALLEGHENY COUNTY — It’s hard to imagine the overwhelming violence some kids are coping with these days in and around their schools.

Brutal fights and shootings are becoming so common at some Pittsburgh area schools that it’s making safety a higher priority than learning.

“I feel like I’m not safe here because of all what’s going on,” said Sto-Rox High School senior Lasaia Williams.

Sto-Rox is one of the school districts that’s had more than its share of violence this past year, making it difficult for students to avoid the chaos. Nevertheless, many are working hard to do just that.

Coping with the Violence

At age 18, Lasaia is tough and disciplined. She copes with the mayhem all around her by keeping too busy to think about it.

She’s on the basketball team, volleyball team, runs track, does gymnastics, cheerleading and dances on the Sto-Rox Vikette squad. And, yes, she gets good grades, too.

“So, I come here and forget about everything,” she told Channel 11′s Angie Moreschi, who also happens to be a Sto-Rox graduate. “(It’s) like an escape from all the negative things that happen in my life.”

Right now, basketball season is in full swing, keeping Lasaia busy after school and late into the evening on game nights. But that means often walking home through a community where it’s common for gunshots to ring out just steps from the school.

“I shouldn’t be ducking and bobbing my head around. You should just be able to walk down the street,” she said. “You’re always looking over your shoulder. Always, like at night, looking around and everything.”

Crime scenes all around

She has good reason to be on guard. It seems not a week goes by without gun violence around the school.

Some of the worst incidents this school year included a Sto-Rox senior shot to death walking home from the bus stop in November. Just a week earlier, shots were fired outside a youth football game at Sto-Rox stadium, sending fans running in fear and injuring a 17-year-old nearby. Over the summer, surveillance video captured a kid in a red hoodie firing multiple gunshots right across from the school’s entrance as neighbors cowered in the background. And in January, a gunfight broke out on Broadway, the main street in town just blocks from the high school. More than 20 shots were fired, and a man was critically injured. We could continue, but you get the idea.

The violence is a constant, oppressive presence for all the students. And for Lasaia, it hit home last October.

Violence hits home

Lasaia and her siblings had just gotten home from school when their lives changed forever.

“I heard talking. Then, after like five seconds, I heard like a pop,” she remembered.

That pop was a gunshot in front of her house. Her stepfather was hit and killed in a drive-by shooting.

“That really hit me,” Lasaia said, staring off into the distance, thinking about the moment she relives every day. “Like every time I walk downstairs, I feel like what happened that moment at that door.”

Since her stepdad’s murder, it’s been tough to stay focused. She worries about her mom, her two little sisters and her brother. They’re all still grieving and trying to move forward.

“Like a weight, holding me down. All this pressure on my shoulders, and I’m trying to fight through the best I can,” she said.

Repeatedly being forced into remote learning over safety concerns is yet another burden.

“It’s like constantly school threats or violence at the school, that we had to keep going back to virtual,” Lasaia told Channel 11. “It keeps interfering with my education. I feel like I’m not learning.”

More than a coach

Girls’ basketball coach Kerry Connolly says the constant violence is demoralizing for the students on her team fighting so hard to succeed.

“The violence in the community is very disheartening,” Connolly said. “Every single day there’s a different wrench thrown in, disturbing what we’re trying to do and the goals we’re trying to accomplish.”

Coach Connolly serves as a much-needed positive force, always working to keep her players on track.

“Some of our key words to focus on are—focus, discipline and respect—because those are three foundational terms, that if you don’t have that, you are not successful in life.”

The realities in this community make it harder, though, turning Connolly into far more than just a coach. She constantly worries about the safety of her players.

“One-thousand percent,” she said. “That’s at the top of the list—to protect these kids.”

That means being there for them, on the court and off. Especially Lasaia.

“She’s my girl for life,” Connolly said. “Lasaia is resilient as they come. She’s had, for lack of a better word, a rough time—she and her family, after the loss of her step-dad.”

The bond between the two is strong. One that comes with time and commitment.

Lasaia is quick to smile when you ask her how much Coach Connolly means to her.

“A lot. She helps me with everything, from problems, everything,” Lasaia said. “Giving me support, like when I was going through hard times.”

Beating the odds

Lasaia’s commitment to sports keeps her busy and truly seems to help.

“Every day she comes in with a smile on her face and inspires her teammates every single day,” Connolly said. “Whether she knows it or not, she inspires me. Just because she’s dealt with so much.”

Despite all the obstacles, Lasaia maintains good grades, is applying to colleges and hopes to become a veterinarian.

We asked her what she wants those colleges to know about her.

“That I’m dedicated to the work I’m doing. I’m strong and I can do it,” Lasaia said.

Her coach has no doubt.

“If you can graduate here, you can make it anywhere in the world, and I truly believe that,” Connolly said.”They are battle-tested to the fullest coming from this district and this community.”

One look at Lasaia walking up to the free throw line and confidently nailing one basket after another, and it’s easy to see—her future is bright.

“Think about what you want to do and put your mind to it,” Lasaia said emphatically, gesturing with her hands. “You’re gonna do it. You’re gonna get it.”

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