April 20, 2009, was the 10th year anniversary of Columbine. Residents of Littleton, Colorado held a candlelight vigil the night before the anniversary. Thousands of people gather together in the small town of Colorado and remember those that were killed. A dove was released for each of the thirteen victims. There was also a rally to promote gun control. The school will be closed on the anniversary all day for the town to remember the tragedy.
Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, two high school seniors came to school on April 20, 1999, with a plan to kill hundreds of their peers. There were planning on using pipe bombs, guns, and knives. Thirteen students were killed in the shooting of Columbine High School, including one teacher and twelve students.
The Today Show held a special news cast on the anniversary of Columbine. They interviewed parents, survivors, people in the community about the incident. Mr. Mauser, father of victim Daniel Mauser, talks about how it has been a struggle to get over this terrible disaster. Frank DeAngelis, Principal of Columbine High School, discussed how the school will never be “normal” and they had to re-define what normal means. There was exclusive interview with survivor, Patrick Ireland, also known as “boy out of the window” about his survival. Ireland was shot in the head twice in the library and crawled his way to the window where the SWAT team rescued him and took him immediately to the hospital. Ireland is now married and a financial adviser. They also had Craig Scott, brother of Rachel Scott, talking about his story. He now goes to public schools and teaches his families’ program “Rachel’s Challenge.” The program teaches students about what happened at Columbine and has prevented other school shootings. Scott uses in sisters’ story in a positive way.
It is good to hear that Columbine High School takes the day off to remember those victims that have past. After watching the Today Show, it made realize how many positive things have come from this crisis. Ten years is a really long time and people are finally starting to heal. This crisis was the biggest school shooting in history up until Virginia Tech Shooting. It is refreshing to hear that a family member as started an organization promoting awareness in schools.
For more information please visit:
http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:what_they_pla994:31077d676e7e51883ac7effd0065fb89/What-They-Play-18-Columbine-10th-anniversary
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30306728/#storyContinued
