Addressing the erratic 2020 school year in Santa Clarita, a special broadcast will be held on Thursday night to reflect on the impact of the transitional stages of grief following the Saugus High shooting.

Starting with two fires in October and the tragedy of the Saugus High shooting in November, the unpredictability of the 2019-2020 Saugus High School year continued through the implementation of virtual classrooms due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in students having the limited ability to grieve and find closure with their Santa Clarita classmates.

When the Saugus High School shooting occurred on Nov. 14, the Santa Clarita Valley community immediately rallied together, with businesses and restaurants donating profits to the families of the victims as well as holding a prayer vigil at Central Park. However, further events have been limited due to the COVID-19 Safer-at-Home order.

“There is a pride and spirit in Santa Clarita that is very special,” then-Mayor Marsha McLean said during the Saugus Strong vigil. “Saugus, you have a fabulous school with fabulous spirit and pride, and I know that you will not let anything take that away from you.”

Returning to school for only a few short weeks before winter break, and then again for only a few short months between the beginning of the new school year and the stay at home order, Santa Clarita students persisted in their grieving process, isolated from the spirit and resilience of the student body McLean had discussed, leaving many individuals with unanswered questions.

“We have what feels like a hole, or emptiness in our chest,” Bryan Muehlberger, father of victim Grace Muehlberger, said at the time. “We keep asking why, but the answer isn’t here yet.”

The special broadcast led by Matt Watson, director of outreach of Santa Clarita Valley International (SCVi) charter school, and Kristina Dee Bree, psychologist, hopes to provide advice to offer insight and further discussion on how to cope with a year of traumatic events and yield a sense of unity within the community.

“The world that these kids have stepped into is a completely different world from everything we’ve ever seen,” said Watson. “These students have been given a unique opportunity to use their grit, strength and perseverance to use their experiences to improve our world and through this broadcast, we hope to provide a safe space for our community to listen and lean on.”

Not only composed of the shooting tragedy and the multiple surrounding fires in the fall months, this unusual year has also involved several other major events that will be addressed in the broadcast including the arrest of Saugus High School substitute teacher for oral copulation with a student, a yearbook tribute scandal and the cancellation of all senior events.

“We are going to be discussing how to find closure with the past traumas that have occurred over the past 12 months in our community,” said Dee Bree. “Everyone deserves to be taking things at their own pace and everyone has the right to take their time and experience their emotions.”

To learn more about Watson and De Bree’s perspectives, tune into KHTS Radio at 98.1 FM and AM 1220 at 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18. The broadcast is also set to be streamed on Facebook Live.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.