MONROE, Conn. —
On a tour Wednesday of his daughter’s new school, Vinny Alvarez took a moment to thank her third-grade teacher, who protected the class from a rampaging gunman by locking her classroom door and keeping the children in a corner.
Alvarez was one of many Sandy Hook Elementary School parents expressing gratitude to the teachers during an open house at their school in the neighboring town of Monroe, where their children are resuming classes Thursday for the first time since the Dec. 14 shooting that left 20 students and six educators dead.
Alvarez said each student received a gift box with a toy inside and he expressed thanks to the teacher, Courtney Martin, who kept her door locked until it was safe to leave the building.
“Everybody there thanked her in their own way,” he said.
Newtown Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson announced that the Sandy Hook staff decided that the students’ new school, the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe, would be renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“That’s who they are. They’re the Sandy Hook family,” Robinson said after a news conference at a park in Monroe a few miles from the school. She added that renaming the Chalk Hill school will allow staff and students to keep “their identity and a comfort level.”
The school where the shootings occurred remains closed and guarded by police. Newtown officials haven’t decided yet on the building’s future.
The gunman, Adam Lanza, also killed his mother at the home they shared in Newtown before the school shootings, which ended when Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived. Police haven’t released any details about a motive.
Numerous police officers on Wednesday guarded the outside of the Monroe school, which is about 7 miles from the old school, and told reporters to stay away.
“I think right now it has to be the safest school in America,” Monroe police Lt. Keith White said.
Teachers attended staff meetings at the new school on Wednesday morning and were visited by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy before the open house, White said.
Robinson said Chalk Hill School has been transformed into a “cheerful” place for the surviving students to resume normal school routines. She said mental health counselors continue to be available for anyone who needs them.
Donna Page, a retired Sandy Hook principal, will lead the new school.
During the open house on Wednesday, Alvarez said his 8-year-old daughter also got to pick out a stuffed animal to take home from the school library.
“I’m not worried about her going back,” he said of his daughter Cynthia. “The fear kind of kicks back in a little bit, but we’re very excited for her and we got to see many, many kids today. The atmosphere was very cheerful.”
Several signs welcoming the Sandy Hook students to their new school were posted along the road leading to the school in a rural, mostly residential neighborhood. One said “Welcome Sandy Hook Elementary Kids,” while a similar sign added “You are in our prayers.”
Teams of workers, many of them volunteers, prepared the Chalk Hill school with fresh paint and new furniture and even raised bathroom floors so the smaller elementary school students can reach the toilets. The students’ desks, backpacks and other belongings that were left behind following the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel at home.
Counselors say it’s important for children to get back to a normal routine and for teachers and parents to offer sensitive reassurances.
One parent, Robert Bazuro of Newtown, said he was pleased that school was resuming Thursday for the Sandy Hook survivors. He brought his two children, who are in the second and fourth grades, to a barbershop Wednesday morning.
“We’re very happy the kids are going back and we’re very thankful for Monroe for everything they’ve done for us,” Bazuro said. He said his children weren’t at Sandy Hook on the day of the shootings. He declined to elaborate.
When classes start, Robinson said teachers will try to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children.
“We want to get back to teaching and learning,” she said. “We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there. All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that’s going to be the healthiest thing.”
Top News
On school tour, Newtown parents thank teachers
-
-
VDT Weekend Update
News Reporter Caitlin Barker speaks to Bernard Bulemu and Eric Mathis, representatives from the South Georgia Regional Library about their summer programs for kids, teens and adults during the month of June, as well as lists fun summer camps taking place in the Valdosta area.
-
Man shot by FBI had ties to Boston bombing suspect
A Chechen immigrant shot to death in Florida after an altercation with an FBI agent implicated himself in a triple slaying that officials believe may have been connected to Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, authorities said.
-
WHO: Scientific red tape mars efforts vs. virus
International efforts to combat a new pneumonia-like virus that has now killed 22 people are being slowed by unclear rules and competition for the potentially profitable rights to disease samples, the head of the World Health Organization warned Thursday.
-
Jurors deadlock on Jodi Arias penalty; retrial set
Jurors who spent five months determining Jodi Arias’ fate couldn’t decide whether she should get life in prison or die for murdering her boyfriend, sending prosecutors back to the drawing board to rehash the shocking case of sex, lies and violence to another 12 people.
-
Lt. Gov. visits Valdosta
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle delivered a message of optimism and preference for prudent investments for Valdosta and Lowndes County Thursday morning, which he is confident will pull Georgia out of recession, build jobs and launch Valdosta into a new business heyday.
-
I-5 bridge collapses in Washington state
An Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.
-
Today in History for Friday, May 24, 2013
Today is Friday, May 24, the 144th day of 2013. There are 221 days left in the year.
-
Parents fuming over locked doors at graduation
Several parents of Spelman College graduates are furious after locked doors prevented them from seeing their children’s commencement.
-
Octogenarians race to be oldest Everest climber
An 80-year-old Japanese extreme skier who climbed Mount Everest five years ago, but just missed becoming the oldest man to reach the summit, is back on the mountain to make another attempt at the title.
-
When is it OK for wunderkinds to drop out of school?
It's one thing to say tech geniuses don't need degrees. After all, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg all dropped out of college. But now we've got David Karp, who doesn't even have a high school diploma.
- More Top News Headlines
-
