The recent government shutdown has left many families in the Lake Stevens community facing uncertainty. Students with parents who work for the government or the military are feeling the effects at home, worrying about paychecks, bills, and how long this will last.
According to BBC News, on Oct. 1, 2025, the federal government of the United States shut down at 12:01 a.m. Making “millions of Americans [that] may not receive food aid, thousands of troops could have to work without pay, and millions may go without heat.”
Many families in the Lake Stevens High School Community were affected by the shutdown because they include government employees.
“I’ve only just been scared because I don’t want us to run out of money, and I don’t know when we are, because my parents don’t talk about that to us, so I’m just slightly scared,” senior Grace Menzel said.
Students with parents who work on the naval base were also impacted by the shutdown and noticed differences in their parents’ non-verbal communication.
“[My dad is] a tiny bit more stressed at home because I’ve seen him talking to my mom, and when they talk quietly, I know they’re talking about something they don’t want me to hear. So I think he is a little stressed right now,” senior Emmanuel Holmes.
Teachers whose children are enlisted in the military made sure that they had support to give and were ready for any situation.
“She’s prepared, so she’s not going to be out of rent money or things like that. So as a mother, of course, I’m extremely upset…[But we are] Totally prepared…, my husband and I both,… we have a stockpile just for her, for that reason.” teacher Mindy Marks.
As the shutdown continued, the growing concern was focused on how their families would pay for things like food and bills. It may have also been hard to focus in class when they’re thinking about what was happening at home. The shutdown made it hard for the government workers and a lot of kids here at Lake Stevens, who have parents who work in the government; it was shown that it was also putting pressure on their kids, who were left to deal with the stress and uncertainty of not knowing when things will go back to the way they were before.
Now that the government shutdown has been lifted, people can return to their everyday lives. The SNAP benefits are opening back up, Air traffic control is now getting paid, and the military is as well. Government workers can get paid for their hard work.
