69传媒

In Newtown, Conn., the day known to the rest of the world as the 10th anniversary of the deadliest K-12 school shooting in U.S. history is simply called 12/14.

It鈥檚 a shorthand that allows students to refer to the events of that day鈥擠ec. 14, 2012鈥攚ithout using words like 鈥渢ragedy,鈥� 鈥渄eath,鈥� or 鈥渟hooting.鈥� It鈥檚 also an uphill attempt to stop the name of the town from being synonymous with tragedy.

This Dec. 14 marks a decade since a gunman, a former student, killed 20 young children and six adults in the town鈥檚 Sandy Hook Elementary School. The event set off years of nationwide debates over school safety that are rekindled every time another school is attacked.

For the Newtown community鈥攖he surviving students, who are now in high school, and the families most affected by the loss鈥攖he event set off lifelong cycles of grief and remembrance. The rituals are both intensely personal and, at times, highly public.

Nelba M谩rquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter Ana Grace died in the shooting, thinks of those affected by Newtown鈥檚 grief as concentric circles of intensity鈥攙ictims鈥� families in the middle alongside injured and surviving students and educators; a traumatized community in the next ring; and people who are far less connected on the outermost circle.

鈥淲hat happens on hallmark dates is that all of these people on the outside start getting activated and wanting to make it a big, big day,鈥� M谩rquez-Greene said. 鈥淔or those of us in the center, it is a big, big day every day we can鈥檛 set that seat at the table.鈥�

For Newtown families and students, it鈥檚 important to separate the memory of the individuals who died from the traumatic way it happened, to acknowledge hard feelings head on, and to recognize that grief takes many forms, she said.

And so in Newtown, the day will be quiet, even as the media coverage gets loud鈥攁s it does every year about this time. 69传媒 will be closed for a teacher workday Wednesday, the date of the attack, giving students space to process away from news crews around town. District and school administrators will politely decline inboxes full of requests for interviews, as they do every year.

A growing community of grief

Since the shooting, dozens of communities have joined Newtown in efforts to create new rituals of remembrance.

Such moments of collective grief are a challenge for school leaders, regardless of the type of tragedy.

In Parkland, Fla., students participate in a day of service on the anniversary of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In Littleton, Colo., students who weren鈥檛 even born the day of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School attend vigils and services to mark the date on the calendar.

Such concerns have become so common that the Principal Recovery Network, a group of school administrators who led schools in the aftermath of shootings, included advice for anniversaries in a guide for peers who may face similar crises in the future.

Their message: The effects of that trauma will reverberate for years, even affecting the future children of survivors.

鈥淚 have a new view of 鈥榣ong,鈥欌�� said George Roberts, who was the principal at Perry Hall High School in Baltimore County, Md., in August 2012 when a student shot and injured another in the cafeteria, just a few months before the Newtown tragedy.

鈥淟ong is forever,鈥� he said when the group released its guide earlier this year. 鈥淚f you are in a building where this occurred, a community where this occurred, recovery is forever.鈥�

Understanding 鈥榯he anniversary effect鈥�

Psychologists say the dates of traumatic events, and the familiar seasonal touchpoints that lead up to them, can lead to an 鈥渁nniversary effect,鈥� setting off a physical and emotional stress response for those who were present.

In Newtown, those touchpoints might include seasonal decorations; the shooting occurred weeks before Christmas.

School leaders should be aware of these concerns for students who鈥檝e experienced life-changing events, including events that draw less attention than a shooting鈥攍ike the loss of a family member to COVID-19, said Karen Gross, an education consultant who teaches a course at Rutgers University Graduate School of Social Work about trauma commemorations.

鈥淭rauma anniversaries need to be thought about as opposed to buried,鈥� Gross said. 鈥淭rauma never goes away. It can be ameliorated, for sure, but it never goes away. And perhaps its most debilitating feature is that it can keep getting reactivated.鈥�

69传媒 should prepare teachers for possible classroom discussions that may arise around anniversaries and have counselors and support staff reach out to students who may be affected. They should also consider whether whole-school events will be helpful or hurtful, the National Association of School Psychologists says in a .

Gross advises schools to prepare well in advance of significant dates, considering factors like varying cultural responses to grief, respect for those most immediately affected, and communicating plans so that students and families can choose how to participate.

Sensitivity to the needs of grieving students and families

The needs of students and families should be central to any planning for school commemorations, said Nicole Hockley, whose son, Dylan, was 6 when he died in the Newtown shooting.

69传媒 should 鈥渉onor students鈥� feelings and experiences because, by not allowing them to share how this impacted them, I fear you are compressing their experience in a way that compounds their grief and anxiety,鈥� she said.

Hockley鈥檚 surviving son, Jake, now in college, attended a private school in the years following the shooting before later returning to Newtown High School, which has a special counselor who works with siblings of the shooting victims.

At times, Jake has been hesitant to share where he鈥檚 from when he introduces himself to new people, not wanting to be immediately identified with the loss, Hockley said. 69传媒 need space to process those complex emotions, she added.

Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse died in the shooting, said her surviving son, J.T., struggled when teachers or classmates mentioned the shooting in class without addressing how he was directly affected. Though he had a special plan that allowed him extra time and space to deal with his emotions in the classroom, he needed to know adults weren鈥檛 afraid to acknowledge his pain, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about having the courage to be present with someone in pain so that they know that you care about them,鈥� Lewis said.

The Principal Recovery Network鈥檚 guide also stresses the importance of student voice around milestone dates.

Among its advice:

• 69传媒 and families may have an aversion to the term 鈥渁nniversary,鈥� which could be seen as a positive term. Consider using phrases like 鈥渢he one-year mark鈥� instead.
• Survey students and hold discussions with small groups to determine what commemorations or traditions would be helpful and meaningful to them.
• Consider making commemorative activities optional so that students can safely and quietly disengage if the events spark anxiety or difficult emotions.

Administrators also shouldn鈥檛 assume they know how students want to process the day, principals said when they released the guide. For one principal, that meant scrapping plans for a somber remembrance: 69传媒 said they would prefer a goofy staff lipsync at lunch time as an emotional release.

Grief and joy can coexist, M谩rquez-Greene said.

Recognize the complexity in grief鈥攁nd in those who are grieving

Educators and the public must also remember the differences between trauma, grief, and activism, survivors stressed.

Parkland鈥檚 tragedy quickly became synonymous with a youth-led push for gun control that followed. But Patrick Petty, a student and brother of victim Alaina Petty, later told Education Week he opposed such gun restrictions. Conflating memorials with activism can cause some people to feel left out.

In Newtown, some survivors have gone to the White House to push for new gun laws, and others have launched a variety of foundations to remember lost loved ones. Still others have been far more private.

Every December, M谩rquez-Greene tweets out the name of one the 26 victims for each day leading up to the 14th. She bristles when people talk about the children who died without acknowledging the adults.

M谩rquez-Greene and her family launched the , an organization that provides professional development for teachers about stress, trauma, and student mental health. She frequently shares links to , a website that links to biographies and related charities for every victim.

It鈥檚 important for students and families to determine how they want to remember loved ones, and for educators not to assume the community is a monolith, M谩rquez-Greene said. That may mean asking permission before using names and images of victims on memorials or taking other considerations to respect their viewpoints.

鈥淭he more you are in relationship with people, the better position you鈥檙e in to be responsive and respectful,鈥� she said.

Continued effects

Newtown opened a new Sandy Hook school building in 2016, incorporating lots of windows to let in natural light and open hallways so adults can easily see what鈥檚 happening inside the building.

Most of the students who attend that school weren鈥檛 born the day of its namesake tragedy.

The students who lost classmates on 12/14 are now in high school. The anniversary brings emotions, Hockley said, but so does seeing Dylan鈥檚 peers and realizing that they鈥檙e now taller than she is. Would Dylan have outgrown her by now, too?

Hockley plans to spend the day of the 10-year mark walking by the ocean, as she does every year.

鈥淚 need to realize that something is bigger than my grief,鈥� she said.

M谩rquez-Greene will see a trauma therapist that day. She thinks often of mothers who lost their children to smaller acts of violence on that day 10 years ago. Those mothers don鈥檛 have the same visibility but have experienced the same pain.

She credits teachers with helping her surviving son, Isaiah, laugh again after the tragedy. After a crisis, educators should be mindful of their own stress and emotions, even as they help students recover, M谩rquez-Greene said.

She recently visited the newly opened permanent memorial of the tragedy鈥攁 large, round water feature etched with 26 names鈥攚ith students of Ana Grace Academy of the Arts, a magnet elementary and middle school in Hartford, Conn., named in honor of her daughter, who loved music.

She made sure members of the media weren鈥檛 present.

鈥淚 was honored that they would want to bring their kids here, but I also wanted to protect both the educators and the kids,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 have this sacred moment privately.鈥� 鈥�