Today’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown has sparked reaction among Staples students—several of whom have made contact with Newtown enrollees or outside sources through social media. Texting, Twitter, and Facebook have been the news outlets around school.
Trending on Twitter: #prayersfornewtown.
“I’m literally crying right now,” Erin Kenning, a Newtown High School senior posted on Facebook. Kenning is a lacrosse friend of at least one Staples student, Deanna Schreiber ’13.
Nathan Francis ’14 said he searched for news on Facebook through his camp friend, Maddie Mae. His friend, he found, had posted, “This is horrible. Never in my life would I have thought we would be living through a school shooting.”
Staples student Jordyn Patterson ’14 is still in shock from a forwarded text she received from a Newtown student. According to the text, there were rumors among students that various administrators and faculty were killed, along with a number of elementary school children; however, this has not been verified by news sources or by the Newtown police department.
What has been confirmed by Danbury Hospital—which is also currently under lockdown—is that three patients have been transported to the hospital. Regardless, this is upsetting news to Patterson.
“It’s horrifying,” Patterson said. “It’s so close to home. You’d never think of something like this happening here.”
Also written in the message was report that the elementary school had to be evacuated, while all other Newtown schools were on lockdown for two hours.
However, not all Staples students are as connected. Some, like Mrinal Kumar ’14, are concerned of the lack of information.
“It’s surprising and crazy that it’s so close,” Kumar said. “It’s closer to home than any other shooting in recent memory. I hope everything is OK.”
Eric Hawes ’15 is also worried.
“I’m scared it’s going to happen to Staples,” Hawes said. “I don’t want to even think about it.”
While Hawes is worried for the future, Hannah Lewis ’14 focuses on looking at the past.
“I’ve always felt detached from school shootings, but this one is all of asudden so real,” Lewis said. “It’s terrifying.”
