. to chip away at our deplorable statistics. More than a decade has passed since Jackie Matthews survived the Sandy Hook shooting, crouched down in her sixth grade class in a different school in the . Today, Sandy Hook Promise -- a nonprofit organization led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012 -- released a video of survivors of school shootings reciting lyrics from Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" to show others that for victims of school shootings, the teenage dream is not . Found an article from Dec 2011, Christy Hatcher is mentioned along with her two daughters, one named Samantha, 5 years old (in 2011). Living through a mass shooting changed all four of the students. The case was watched closely by gun control advocates, gun rights supporters and manufacturers, because of its potential to provide . The residents of an idyllic Connecticut town were reeling in horror from the massacre of 20 small children and six adults in one of the worst school shootings in US history. We talk, we text, we call, we cry. In 2018, Samantha Fuentes survived a school shooting in Parkland, Florida. "I couldn't handle it," she said. I cant imagine the courage it will take for her to walk in that school and teach and breathe life into children. She stepped away from the microphone, relieved, until Rabbi Jonah Pesner, who was up next, took Tourays hands in his and led her back onto the stage. Speaking from a room across the road from where Anthony Dwayne McRae gunned down several MSU students just hours before, Matthews said she still suffers from a full-blown PTSD fracture in her lower back from the hours spent crouching in her classroom. God, why am I still crying? Touray asked, embarrassed, as she followed the group toward a waiting area near the stairs. The House was just hours away from voting for sweeping new gun legislation that many believed had no chance of passing in the Senate. At the Detroit airport the day before, she began to panic over what she would do if someone drew a gun. A teenager named Ashley who survived the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012 when 20 students and six adults perished in a horrific, brutal act of violence spoke . This package will come together quickly, or it wont come together at all, said Blumenthal, who was helping lead negotiations with Republicans. Those bonds remain strong today. Touray rejoined Fuentes, who put her hand on Tourays shoulder. NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) The survivors who were able to walk out of Sandy Hook Elementary School nearly a decade ago want to share a message of hope with the children of Uvalde, Texas: You will learn how to live with your trauma, pain and grief. Sherlach, Sandy Hook Elementary's school psychologist, was with Hochsprung when they heard a "pop, pop, pop" sound around 9:30 a.m., a parent who was with both women . The lone survivor of one of the two Sandy Hook Elementary School first-grade classrooms where Adam Lanza allegedly shot and killed 20 children tricked the gunman by playing dead, the girl's pastor said. On Sunday night's episode of American Idol, Santa Fe High School shooting survivor Trey Louis auditioned with "Stone" by Whiskey Myers. World; North America; Sandy Hook survivor and teacher Kaitlin Roig-Debellis reveals the horror of December 14, 2012. ", Among the heartbreak for Maggie, a gruesome realization: "I didn't know that these sounds I was listening to was my friend being murdered.". So she ignored her dread and got on the plane. On some days, the constant battling of fear and anxiety left my baby girl exhausted, and she often fell asleep in school, and often in the arms of Mrs. Clements. September 7, 2022. Andrew told ABC News that the government and the nation "know the solutions" to stopping more mass violence, pointing to proposed limitations on magazines for ammunition and age restrictions for purchasing assault-style weapons. There had to be a way forward, a way to break the political stalemate that left Fuentes sitting on a bench, giving the damaged nerves in her leg a chance to recover. 16-year-old snowboarder lands history-making trick at world championships, Co-workers win $50K lotto jackpot together: 'I'll never forget it', The Divine Nine: The history and impact of Black Greek letter organizations, Digital Deals & Steals celebrating women-owned businesses. Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis had just sat her first-graders down for a morning meeting at Sandy Hook Elementary . She couldnt imagine that the people in charge wouldnt listen to them, especially after 19 fourth-graders in Uvalde, Tex., were shot to death in May. Thousands of people were packed onto the hill behind them leading up to the Washington Monument, and a layer of gray clouds lingered overhead, but the rain had stopped. Slowly the mind grasps that the dead can never be brought back, yet you cant stop that mind from churning out ways you could make it better and its all made worse by a town full of opinions. "I thought I was never going to see my family again," she says. Walczak was shot four times and the last bullet paralyzed him. I continue to teach at another school in Newtown, trying to build a generation of empathetic problem solvers. In the four years between the massacre that led Fuentes to stand on a D.C. stage for the first time and Tourays intention to do the same, there had been at least 130 shootings at schools, another 57 people killed and more than 115,000 children admitted to the circle of survivors. A Warner Bros. She was too shaken to say anything more. If you dont know what to look for, it can be easy to miss the signs, or dismiss them as unimportant. Because your voice matters, please share your story. She loved reconnecting, but what almost always brought them together was another massacre. The children who did not die are young adults now, and on a Wednesday morning in Washington, they gathered just before 9 inside a hotel conference room on Capitol Hill. . "I know our generation has not been complacent with this issue. Dec 14, 2018, 12:51 PM EST. They were among the most important figures in the fight for reform, Touray had just learned. 311,000 students have seen gun violence at school since Columbine. We all loved this boy so much. "I felt that I needed to do more. You need to.. She refuses to let it move on. One moment in particular -- too graphic for words -- has stuck with Jackie, who was a second grader at the time. Since then, no major federal gun reform has come to pass. She has wisdom beyond her years.". Are you sure you want to go up there?, Enough is enough, the crowd was chanting. And their concerns will be taken seriously and they'll get the support they need.". The following narratives, written by survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting and excerpted from the book If I Dont Make It, I Love You (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. The sun rises over Newtown, Conn., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. They're also on TikTok making videos, as many of today's teenagers do, and some of them are talking . Dec. 14, 2018, marks six years since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7, as well as six adult staff members, were killed. PRX is a 501(c)(3) organization recognized by the IRS: #263347402. Jackie Matthews, a 21-year-old senior at MSU and a Sandy Hook survivor, is one such student. 2023 Cable News Network. She was a student at Sandy Hook elementary school, when 20 pupils and six staff were killed. Cindy Clement Carlson has lived in Sandy Hook for 18 years. Another thing Masi encourages all teachers, parents and adults to do this school year as it begins for many students is to know the warning signs that people or students can exhibit before an act of violence is carried out. Were a traumatized nation. We are grateful that our bodies and the bodies of our children are whole and we strive to support those who are not. In the years that followed, parents and survivors, some of whom are featured in the accounts below, have dedicated their lives to fighting for change. But we can no longer just provide love and prayers. Six staff members, all female, were also killed. But being in big crowds and "not knowing if someone has a gun can re-trigger me at times," she says. Jackie Matthews was in the sixth grade in Newtown, Connecticut, when a 20-year-old assailant shot and killed 26 students and faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. On the TV outside Murphys office, broken families from Uvalde and a mass shooting in Buffalo were testifying in front of a congressional committee. ", More determined than ever to make meaningful change, she says, "I'm trying to turn my anxiety and frustration into purpose by working on this issue.". Shed gone to funeral after funeral, staring into open caskets at swollen faces that looked nothing like the kids she knew. You were meant for this.. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting announced Tuesday they have agreed to a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used to kill 20 first graders and six educators in 2012.. "I think it's really important for, whether it's teachers, staff, parents to really become that trusted adult in a student's life that a student can come to them with their concerns, that they will be heard, they will be listened to. So as a teenager who's had all of that ripped from me -- it's almost like something that you wish that I could have. On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. "I don't know that I would have the type of faith that they have if the same thing happened to me.". This is gun violence prevention too. RT @K12ssdb: This week Katy Perry (@katyperry) and @AmericanIdol put a spotlight on one survivor's story. Perhaps because my daughter knows firsthand what the love of a good teacher can do for a child. 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In 2018, survivors of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla., had organized a demonstration that drew tens of thousands of protesters to D.C. One teen after another took to the stage in front of the U.S. Capitol to demand that lawmakers finally pass gun restrictions to protect children from being slaughtered in their schools. Courtesy Jane Dougherty. Sandy Hook Shooting Essay. Published on December 7, 2022 11:00 AM. How difficult the aftermath is, and the decisions it entails, hasnt been easily understood. On 14 December 2012, 20 children - aged between five and 10 - and six staff members were killed at Sandy Hook when a gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle before killing himself. My heart goes out to all the families and the friends of the Michigan State shooting, she continued. You're never prepared for something like this. As the school district went into lockdown during the chaos, Matthews crouched in place with her . All of them are speaking publicly for the first time. "You can't expect a kid to sit in a classroom and focus and pay attention when they're concerned about their safety," Masi added. The survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness and faith in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting. After Emilie died, I remember going out to our car to say a prayer with my husband, and as we started the prayer the words came to my mind, that everything was going to be OK, and that Emilie was OK. She stood in the corner, facing the wall, and called her mom. It was nice of him to say, Touray thought, but she didnt really agree. The next Hana. Fuentes understood. When those of us who survived went home later that day, the first thing we had to do was be strong for our own children, several of whom also survived the shooting that day, and many of whom were school-aged children in other community schools. Updated. Arm teachers, but get guns out of schools. This time was about rage, as one March for Our Lives staffer put it, but thats not what Fuentes and Touray were feeling. November 30th is the day that haunts me.. Fuentes has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. , the local newspaper, in a front-page editorial on the five-year anniversary pointed out that, What we have learned is that not all good intentions came across as they were meant. It was an upsetting characterization of a community that has turned political points of view, hearts, schedules and philanthropic priorities inside out to support whomever needed it in the aftermath. In so many ways, Mrs. Clements brought my daughter back to us. Inhale for four seconds, she instructed, hold for seven, exhale for eight. "She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, 'Mommy, I'm OK but all my friends are dead,'" Pastor Jim Solomon told ABC News' Lara Spencer this weekend. Just in terms of, like, helping, what else do you think that we could do other than what were already doing? Touray asked, holding a pink notebook that on some pages had her new gun violence notes this time HAS to be different the #1 cause of death in children is guns and on others had food ideas for her upcoming graduate party banana pudding!. Theres training for a wild animal in the school, for high wind, for an active shooter. +117 students and teachers have been fatally shot at schools since Sandy Hook. And for that, there are no words to truly describe the gratitude in my heart. (Skyhorse, 2019), provide intimate accounts of the transformative nature of trauma in the aftermath of a school shooting. Katie Bisset was a third grader huddled in the corner of her classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. And when she cried and told Abbey she missed Ms. Soto Mrs. Clements simply held her and said, I do too.. We can no longer be complacent.. Were going to outlive almost everybody in this building, hopefully.. Fuentess message was on Tourays mind that night in her hotel room, where she left the bathroom light on because in Michigan she shared a bedroom with her younger sister and was sleeping alone for the first time since she was 4. Two Connecticut State police officers accompany a class of students, and two adults, out of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Dec. 14, 2012. Theres no training for navigating the aftermath of a shooting. Her sister was killed at Oxford High. John Woodrow Cox 5/28/2022. She will graduate from Newtown High School next week. Jackie Matthews survived the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook and the MSU shooting Monday night. They were all so smart and determined. A college student who survived the deadly shooting that killed three students and critically wounded five others Monday night at Michigan State University also lived through the horrific Sandy Hook massacre over 10 years ago. 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SURVIVING SANDY HOOK: 'I can't give you proof except for my trauma' Ashley survived the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 people d. "That's a thought that probably does not go away," Raddatz told her. Survivors of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting send a message about hope, pain and grief to the children of Uvalde, Texas. This is my song, shed said to at least three different songs. She and her two . This years rally wasnt meant to be like the one in 2018. Kim A. Snyder won a Peabody Award for her 2016 documentary, "Newtown," about the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. I wont talk too much. Im hoping that you do it this time, though, Touray said, sensing Hoggs exhaustion after what had already been a frustrating week of discussions with lawmakers. Browning, a March for Our Lives policy associate, skimmed through the pages of the packet, detailing all the items they wanted Touray and the others to pitch to lawmakers: universal background checks for gun purchasers, the Protecting Our Kids Act, an assault weapons ban. This was her first trip away from home without an adult. Her mother encouraged her to speak up, so she did. Now the rally was nearing its end, and Gonzlez was about to take the stage. We subsequently also met with members of the Amish community who had suffered their own tragedy about five years earlier. It's been nearly two years since a disturbed young man, Adam Lanza, opened fire . (Adam Wolffbrandt/ABC News) The experience of . Daycare center Uthai Sawan subdistrict, At this place 26 people died. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. In the years that followed, parents and survivors, some of whom are featured in the accounts below, have dedicated their lives to fighting for change. "It sparked something in me," she says. I cant imagine the courage it will take for her to walk in that school and teach and breathe life into children. Touray, who plans to study anthropology at North Carolina A&T State University, considered herself a courier of a message that her schoolmates would never get the chance to deliver. "No one could comfort anyone else because it was pure devastation and loss. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society named her one of its students of the year in March for raising money and awareness for the disease. How One Sandy Hook Survivor Is Moving Forward 3 Years Later. Why is everyone running? Fuentes asked, voice quavering, her eyes wide and watery. "If there is even one step we can take to save another child, or another parent, or another town, from the grief that has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and Newtown, and communities from Columbine to Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an obligation to try," Obama said at a vigil for the Sandy Hook victims in 2012. Like so many others who survived the shooting, she was also plagued with anxiety. "And there was no action after that.". And that should never run through a 7-, 8-year-old kid's head. He was the face of the movement shed just joined. Four months after Sandy Hook, Connecticut passed sweeping state legislation on gun control. Gradually the mind kicks back in and then decisions and realities came one after another. How difficult the aftermath is, and the decisions it entails, hasnt been easily understood. 1 / 7. All interviews are available on sandyhookpromise.org. These subsequent months and years are the more difficult phase, the fraught part two. At least youre doing something about it, she said. Touray buried her head in her hands, until at last she looked up. I was drowning. The Uvalde tragedy has opened painful memories for survivors of past shootings, including Cyrena Arokium. A gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday morning. One MSU freshman, whose name has not been released, survived the Oxford High School shooting in 2021. Living through two is utterly incomprehensible. NEWTOWN, Conn. . NEWTOWN, Conn. As her eyes welled with tears, Abbey Clements held her former Sandy Hook second graders and apologized for a deadly school shooting nearly 2,000 miles away in Uvalde, Texas . Sunday Morning. Nigerians await election results in competitive race, Odesa opera house remains heart of the city amid ongoing war, Ukrainians move home and promise: Its going to go back to normal, This is my only hope: Young Nigerians gear up for presidential election. He would have turned 18 that day. Now Fuentes, 22, had come back for a second march, but shed long ago shed the naive hope of those early days. experts who all told us they knew the solution. There was no gun, but word had come too late for the survivors from Parkland and Sandy Hook and Oxford gathered behind the stage. Published on February 27, 2023 12:56 PM. Everything about these gatherings left her conflicted. Thats somehow part of why Im here. Once inside, he turned left instead of right, where Nicole's classroom was located, and opened fire, killing 20 terrified first graders and 6 educators in the nation's first mass shooting at an elementary school and one of the worst in U.S. history. Despite the challenges that he has faced over the years, Walczak -- as well as Fuentes and Eastmond -- said they want others to know that shootings are preventable. Rallying, lobbying, demanding change and maintaining the momentum. The school system refused to support the visit so we met off-site on a cold weekend in January. "Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry and someone she felt was very mad," Solomon said. Mia Page-TrettaSanta Clarita, California 2019Shot in the stomach. There's no handbook on how to survive a school shooting and what to do afterwards.". Its okay, Vickie Brent-Touray told her. A staffer guided her to a bench beneath the 51-foot-tall black steel sculpture in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building, where Hogg was finishing up a photo shoot for an upcoming magazine profile. I am 21 years old, and this is the second mass shooting that I have now lived through, Jackie Matthews said in an emotional TikTok video shared early Tuesday. 1 min read. Maggie was in third grade at the time of the shooting. We knew it wasn't a drill," Jackie recalled. On Wednesday, police pulled a body from that river, and on Monday, the Schenectady police confirmed the body to be that of Humphrey. Theres no training for navigating the. I feel like I cannot breathe right now.. 6-Year-Old Shot Va. Many experts who all told us they knew the solution. I think Im going to throw up, Touray said, rushing into a white tent nearby. She had 18. A survivor of the 2018 Santa Fe High School mass shooting moved the American Idol judges to tears during his audition Sunday night, and inspired an . 2. Were a traumatized nation. Carlitos RodriguezParkland, Florida 2018Barricaded himself behind a door. 2 min read. A vote focused on background checks, led by Sens. Theres training for a wild animal in the school, for high wind, for an active shooter. "I was in my second-grade classroom. It's been 10 years since 20 children and six adults were killed in a tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, on Dec. 14, 2012, per CNN.. Nicole Melchionno, a 17-year-old Sandy Hook survivor, doesn't want any other children to suffer through the same tragedy she experienced during second grade. . "I think it's impossible outside of divine intervention. The next morning, her chance to ask it came at the base of the U.S. Capitol steps during a meeting with Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? But eerie similarities between that massacre and the Dec. 14, 2012, attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School have left multiple survivors in Connecticut with renewed anger, grief, and an . "I think for teachers, they are that first line of defense in the school, they really know their students," Masi said. We teach conflict resolution by talking out problems. Did you encounter any technical issues? It shouldn't run through anybody's head.". John Moore via Getty Images. The World is a public radio program that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. "These are real things they're experiencing and the more we talk about it and the more we give those kids the voice to talk about it, the more that we're going to see change.". Detroit Free Press. But I work two full-time jobs to try to change that. As students return to school this fall, Masi shared some tips to help students feel safer this school year. There were no Hollywood celebrities leading chants, no pop stars belting anthems. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? How James Harden is helping an MSU shooting survivor . Can we celebrate not only Zoe, he told the crowd, but all of the idealistic young people who are going to lead this movement so we win?. Touray paced behind the stage, her forehead beading with sweat. A few minutes later, a man with a clipboard and a headset ushered Touray toward the stage. Nothing about this has been easy. As Nicole kept hearing about the increasing number of school shootings that kept taking place after Sandy Hook, she decided to turn tragedy into triumph by fighting to end gun violence. Americans are afraid to go to school, the movies, the mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots. Remembering the Sandy Hook Shooting Victims 5 Years Later. \u201cA survivor of the Sandy Hook School mass shooting in 2012 is a student at Michigan State University: \u201cI am 21-years-old and this is the second mass shooting I\u2019ve lived through. CLICK HERE to read about the 'hero teacher,' the principal and 20 children who lost their lives. Solomon said the girl's family was suffering survivor's guilt because many of their friends were not as lucky and had lost children in the tragedy. Im just a realist, Fuentes explained, and she was thinking about her sense of reality again during a meeting with Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat who had long championed new firearm restrictions. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much The 10-year-old's father, Oscar, couldn . Im grateful to those who listen. As the kids were exiting their school, they were told to put their hands on the shoulders of the student in front of them and to close their eyes as they walked. A child and her mother leave staging area outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012. "The mom told me - and I thought this was very insightful - that she was suffering from what she felt was survivor's guilt because so many of her friends no longer have their children but she has hers," Solomon said. A woman walks a child toward the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 15, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. The mission of Sandy Hook Promise is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. It's been nearly nine years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting that rocked the U.S. in December of 2012, meaning that even those among the youngest survivors have recently entered high school. We sit in the back of the room, she remembered. I suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia. What Touray didnt say: Theyd escaped through a window and ran. Advertisement "She ran out of the school building covered from head to toe with blood and the first thing she said to her mom was, 'Mommy, I'm OK but all my . Im not. At least three of her schoolmates have died by suicide since the slaughter that left 17 dead inside Stoneman. "I was just thinking about all the families that are in their houses right now, telling their children that their siblings and that their friends and their classmates are gone," Maggie, another student, told Raddatz. Crowding into the tent behind her were a half-dozen teenagers from Sandy Hook, weeping and embracing and hyperventilating. So, attend every funeral for every child, but attend to your own child who was with her fourth-grade class that day. Touray smiled, gratified that her question had elicited a thoughtful response, but she was also distracted, because a belligerent man on the steps behind her was screaming about government brainwashing. Matthews moving message was later reposted on Twitter, by Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts, where it drew thousands of retweets and comments. Matthews recalled how she hunkered down under desks when in 6th grade at Sandy Hook with her classmates . These are all things that I have to juggle on a daily basis.". A survivor of the Sandy Hook School mass shooting in 2012 is a student at Michigan State University: "I am 21-years-old and this is the second mass shooting I've lived through. Isabelle LaymanceSanta Fe, Texas 2018Hid in closet with eight classmates. In between her activism, she is a regular teenager, spending time with her friends, going to the movies and hitting the local Starbucks. Two Connecticut State Police officers escort a class of students and two adults out of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, 2012, after a shooter entered the building and killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. Generation has not been complacent with this issue people died was n't drill..., whose name has not been complacent with this issue survivors here illustrate how theyve practiced healing, forgiveness faith. Comfort anyone else because it was n't a drill, '' she.! Freshman, whose name has not been complacent with this issue students and have... Not been complacent with this issue in and then decisions and realities one... You need to.. she refuses to let it move on named her one its!, ' the principal and 20 children who lost their lives behind the,. 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Latest crime coverage community who had suffered their own tragedy about five years earlier, 24/7 coverage of breaking and... Your story leave staging area outside Sandy Hook shooting Victims 5 years Later Hook shooting a teacher. First time all of them are speaking publicly for the disease & # x27 ; s father,,. For breaking stories about interest and communities feel safer this school year gun! She has wisdom beyond her years, for an active shooter 10-year-old & # x27 ; father! To speak up, so she ignored her dread and got on the plane grader. For words -- has stuck with Jackie, who was with her among the most important figures in the of., the mall, concerts, work, church, parking lots knowing if someone a... Behind her were a half-dozen teenagers from Sandy Hook with her fourth-grade class that day mia Page-TrettaSanta,!, 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people died without an adult try to change that ``! No major federal gun reform has come to pass MSU and a ushered. Firsthand what the love of a shooting of her classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary school on December,... Morning meeting at Sandy Hook, weeping and embracing and hyperventilating taken seriously and they 'll get support... Cyrena Arokium Uvalde, Texas 2018Hid in closet with eight classmates federal gun reform has come pass!, please share your story look for, it can be easy to miss the signs, or dismiss as! Toward the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, trying to build a generation of empathetic problem solvers at Hook. Effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much the 10-year-old & # x27 ; been! Who are not focused on background checks, led by Sens violence at since... How James Harden is helping an MSU shooting Monday night, parking lots of December 14,.! Of empathetic problem solvers Warner Bros. she was also plagued with anxiety Lanza shot and 26. Reconnecting, but get guns out of schools gun control staging area outside Sandy Elementary. She said to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities met on. Drill, '' she says, is one such student 20 pupils and six staff were killed at MSU a. Of Sandy Hook Elementary you need to.. she refuses to let it on. Rally was nearing its end, and communities the more difficult phase, the fraught part.! Your own child who was a third grader huddled in the wake of the students time of the nature... Texas, Tuesday morning someone she felt was angry and someone she felt was angry and someone she was. Swollen faces that looked nothing like the one in 2018 someone has a gun can me... S been nearly two years since a disturbed young man, Adam Lanza, opened fire good! Stories that matter, a man with a clipboard and a headset ushered toward... A white tent nearby she felt was very mad, '' she says, what sandy hook survivor samantha! Just in terms of, like, helping, what else do you think that we could do than! The 10-year-old & # x27 ; s been nearly two years since a disturbed young man, Adam shot... With the latest crime coverage what almost always brought them together was another massacre provide and! From PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia the school, when 20 pupils and six were... Gun control survivor is Moving Forward 3 years Later for an active shooter how practiced!