“We Will Rise” – The Story of the Apalachee High School Shooting

When I started my Elections Reporting capstone class this fall, I knew I’d be in for a unique final college semester. Obviously election season is the busiest time of year for journalists, so I was excited for my first taste of political/election reporting.

Then on Sept. 4, everything changed.

Just 30 minutes from Athens, the school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder shook northeast Georgia. So, we changed our class plans, and we took on a project unlike anything any of us had done before.

The result was this documentary, which tells the story of the kind of tragedy that has become far too common in our country. We wanted to tell this story differently—taking a deeper look at the immediate effects on the community and the region.

This documentary is the story of the day that forever scarred the town of Winder, GA.

It’s the story of how tragedy sparks change, both in our schools and in our laws.

And it’s the story of what happens when the dust settles and the reporters leave.

It’s the people of Barrow County, the city Winder and Apalachee High School coming together to show what it means to be “Barrow Strong.”

Torin Smith, Executive Producer