School Honoring Principal Who Gave His Life 10 Years Ago | Homeland Security Degrees
School Honoring Principal Who Gave His Life 10 Years Ago | Homeland Security Degrees
https://homelandsecurityedus.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/school-honoring-principal-who-gave-his-life-10-years-ago/
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English/Nat
Tears, hugs, of happy people posing for pictures, to mark a significant day.
Those were the scenes at the end of today’s graduation ceremony for Columbine High School in Colorado.
The ceremony was heavily colored by the shootings a month ago that killed 15 people, including two student gunmen who were seniors.
There was no mention of the gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
But there was a moment of silence, and several speakers told of how the tragedy has changed their lives forever.
On a warm, sunny day the seniors of Columbine, wearing blue-and-silver gowns, walked single file into the Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre area.
The crowd of loved ones were there to cheer them on.
The seniors were prohibited from wearing blue-and-silver ribbons on their gowns, which have been adopted as a symbol honoring the Columbine victims.
With the snowcapped Rockies as a backdrop, more than 400 seniors took their positions for the graduation ceremony.
They listened to speeches, watched plaques and diplomas distributed and heard traditional music.
The ceremony was heavily coloured by the shootings a month ago that killed 15 people, including two gunmen who were seniors.
There was no mention of the gunmen – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.
Several speakers told how the tragedy had changed their lives forever.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\”I’m beginning to see what my personal window must reflect in order to fit into the larger window. I must live life with a concentrated purpose and a dedication to each moment. I must remember our friends who lost their lives, especially my friend, Kassy Bernard and as I wish that I had more time and more opportunity to tell her what shew meant to me, I must recognize what I have learnt, to love deeply and to appreciate every word and every gesture of every person I love or will love.\”
SUPER CAPTION: Sarah Martin/Graduating Student
Miss Townsend and Isaiah Shoels, both top students, were among 13 students and a teacher killed when seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold scattered gunfire and bombs at Columbine before committing suicide.
Shoels’ family did not appear at the ceremony.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\”Each of us will carry the spirit of Isaiah Shoels, Lauren Townsend and (teacher) Dave Sanders into the future.\”
SUPER CAPTION: Frank DeAngelis, Principal
The crowd of parents, friends and family members held a moment of silence in the memory of those who were killed in the tragedy.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\”Let us honor their memory by holding a moment of silence.\”
SUPER CAPTION: Frank DeAngelis, Principal
The crowd rose to their feet and cheered when three of Miss Townsend’s siblings accepted her diploma.
Several students who were wounded in the April 20 attack drew cheers, air horn blasts and applause as they walked or were taken in wheelchairs across the stage to collect their diplomas.
Two students sang the song they’d composed for the mass memorial after the shootings.
One of the lyrics says \”Columbine there’s hope for you\”.
The traditional ceremony, a mixture of the joy of achievement and the sorrow for lives lost, ended as the 437 graduates formed a semi-circle and tossed their blue mortar boards in the air.
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