After a 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, 2022. Her death was one that impacted people throughout the world. For EHS students, it has them asking one question – who cares?

“This event is one of the most, if not the most, unimportant things that has happened to me all week,” senior Spencer Hurley said.

In a survey of over 350 EHS students, approximately 62% of them said that they did not keep up with the British monarchy. In addition, approximately 63% of them said they did not feel saddened about the queen’s death.

Some students have wondered why she’s received recognition on an international level.

“I don’t think she should be getting all of this attention, especially from America.” junior Emily Walters said. “We don’t even live in [the United Kingdom].”

A lack of interest and confusion aren’t the only things students feel towards the monarch’s passing. Some feel it’s inappropriate to praise someone with a past like Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family at large.

“I found she did a-lot of not so great things,” junior Evan Burkey said. “The only reason she was capable of doing anything is because of her fortune which she got from colonialism.”

After having the longest reign of any British monarch, the queen’s passing is a step in a positive direction for the United Kingdom according to sophomore Beck Crider.

“I think the royal family is a waste of federal spending,” Crider said. “The queen also had 70 years to rule, it was time for some productive change.”

Despite some students’ opposition, approximately 62% of students said that the queen does deserve to be celebrated. Junior Joshua Todd believes the queen is someone who should be idolized.

“I always thought of Queen Elizabeth II as a model monarch and an example of a monarchy working in modern times,” Todd said.

With EHS seeming to be divided on the subject, there still remains those who are confused as to why it’s a topic of discussion in the first place. “ I just really don’t care and I don’t know why we in the U.S.A. are talking about the queen,” senior Tanner Jacoby said. “Didn’t we deal with this over 200 years ago?”