Even though the emotional Degrassi episode “Time Stands Still” premiered over four years ago, the episode is still so powerful that I get the chills watching it. The acting is so realistic that I almost bawl like all the characters in the show. It’s so good that it’s almost painful to watch.

Degrassi is a Canadian drama that follows the lives of multiple high school students. In this one-hour special, the cast and crew of the show tackle school shootings. This episode follows recurring role Rick (Ephraim Ellis) as he’s bullied by fellow classmates Spinner (Shane Kippel), Jay (Mike Lobel) and Alex (Deanna Casaluce). They bully him; he strikes back; then they tar and feather him on television.

This prompts Rick to bring a gun to school. After Spinner and Jay convince Rick that Spinner’s best friend Jimmy was in charge of the tarring and feathering, Rick shoots someone who was actually on his side — Jimmy (Aubrey Graham).

Then Rick goes after his crush who rejected him, Emma (Miriam McDonald). Emma is not shot, thanks to Sean (Daniel Clark) who battles Rick resulting in Rick’s death. The aftermath is surreal. The episode really showed the horrors of bullying when it came to Jimmy, who was put into a wheelchair for life. There’s a tremendous amount of guilt. Principal Raditch (Dan Woods) leaves the school because he did nothing about the bullying that was brought to his attention. Spinner and Jay are both expelled from Degrassi. The message of the show is strong: something needs to stop all of the bullying going on before someone gets hurt. Although the show really offers no plan to stop bullying, but rather shows the consequences of it, I definitely agree that something needs to be done about bullying.

The best part of this episode is it really affected me personally. I go to school on an open campus with no security or metal detectors, the PA announcements aren’t hooked up to my English class, and if we’re on lockdown, some of the teachers don’t even bother to lock the doors. It scares me and frustrates me. Most people don’t even consider the possibility that a shooting may occur at my school. I do believe that we should have metal detectors, as we are a school with a ton of money and can afford them, but the school board can just live in their own little world. We are known as the “bubble town” for a reason. No one is afraid or aware of these possibilities.

I think the reason the episode is so painful to watch is that it attacks and brings attention to such an important issue. For this, I applaud Degrassi. I’ve seen that episode tons of times, but I still find it very powerful. It really makes me think about all I take for granted. People are put into these situations and I’m just fortunate I’m not one of them. Knock on wood.