The Senseless Tragedy At Sandy Hook Elementary School

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On the morning of Friday December 14th, Americans watched in horror and disbelief as reports of an unprecedented tragedy began unfolding on the Internet and live television - The senseless killing of 26 innocent people, 20 of them students between the ages of 6 and 7, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Nobody knows why 20-year old Adam Lanza did this terrible deed and given that he turned the gun on himself at the end of it all, we may never know. What we do know is that the tragedy could have been much worse were it not for some unsung heroes, both young and old. Some survived to tell the tale, others unfortunately, fell victim to the young man's rage.

Among the ones that perished was the school's Principal, Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist, Mary Sherlach - According to a therapist at Sandy Hook, the two were in a meeting with other staff members when they heard the gunshots. Instead of taking cover, the duo went to confront the situation and try stop the intruder - Both, lost their lives.

1st grade teacher Victoria Soto, Lauren Rousseau, a full-time substitute teacher and Special Ed teacher Anne Marie Murphy, all also died trying to protect their students.

Among the heroes that survived to tell the tale is fourth grade teacher Kaitlin Roig, who ushered her students into the class bathroom and barricaded the classroom door with a wheeled storage unit and Maryrose Kristopick, the music teacher who hid herself and 20 students inside a closet that she sealed off with heavy musical instruments.

There was the quick thinking teacher who pulled an eight year old student from the line of fire into her classroom and six-year old Aiden Licata who saved himself and some of his friends by encouraging them to run out of the door, just as Lanza burst into his class and killed his teacher, Victoria Soto.

And, the list goes on and on . . . . From the brave custodian that ran from class to class warning the teachers, to the yet-to-be-named hero that turned on the school's PA system so that all the teachers were immediately aware of what was going on in the front office, where it all began.

The innocent lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary will forever be etched on our minds, as will the selflessness of the adults and youngsters who tried to save them, often at their own peril. This holiday season as you enjoy your time with friends and family, observe a minute of silence to remember and honor the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School. May their souls rest in peace!

Resources: miamiherald.com, theatlanticwire.com,dailymail.co.uk, CNN.com,

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1036 Comments
  • pinkkitty9
    pinkkitty9over 2 years
    So Sad 😭. Some people just go psycho for no reason! It makes me so angry.
    • ajyao
      ajyaoover 3 years
      They are in gods hands now , :( .that so sad 😭
      • ajyao
        ajyaoover 3 years
        Well…they went to a better place.sorry for the loess 🥺
        • nauen
          nauenover 3 years
          I can't believe that it happened at school. Killing teachers and students..... Hope they went to the heaven.
          • dream_beyond
            dream_beyondover 3 years
            That is horrible! I don't understand why people do this! Some people just do not care about anyone but themselves and that makes me both angry and sad😡😥
          • mint_maniac
            mint_maniacover 3 years
            May the innocent souls that were lost that tragic day rest in God's gentle hands, may the souls of the heroic teachers lie in God's smooth grasp, and the killer who may have killed himself at the end of his murder spree, I hope you realize how many innocent people you killed, and that you made a terrible mistake.
            • mint_maniac
              mint_maniacover 3 years
              The killer turned the gun on himself at the end, and he deserved it, he killed those poor kids. My question is: why did he kill the kids, and how did the teacher let him get by them with a gun?
            • mint_maniac
              mint_maniacover 3 years
              Oh, no! I'm really horrified and sad for these children. They only lived six or seven years on the planet! I'm crying!
              • dinobasketball7
                dinobasketball7over 3 years
                That is so bad
                • roxiewolf
                  roxiewolfover 3 years
                  OMG IM GOING TO CRY