Anniversary of the Sandy Hook Shooting

December 14, 2015 marks the three year anniversary since 26 members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut were murdered in a mass shooting. The shooter, Adam Lanza, shot and killed 20 first-graders, six teachers, as well as his mother and himself.

In 2013, both his house and the school where the shooting took place were torn down. Recently, construction workers started building a new school on the same property, but not in the same exact place. Part of the construction plan is to leave the site of the massacre as a green space, leaving only a flagpole that will be a relic from the old school.

In the town of Newtown, Connecticut flags were flown at half mast from sunrise to sunset, and an interfaith service was also held in memory of the victims on the anniversary. The other markers around the town in memory of those who lost their lives include statues and plaques. An angel statue stands outside of Saint Rose of Lima, the Catholic Church where many of the funerals were held, in memory of those who were killed. The statue is known as the “Angel of Hope” among the people of Newtown. Another memorial for the victims in the form of a small stone marker that says “Forever in our hearts, always in our minds”, which resides at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

This year also marks the first year since the shooting that school has been in session. Officials said that they are trying to make it as normal as possible, but will be holding a moment of silence for all those who died three years ago. Overall, the town of Newtown is trying to keep the anniversary low-key out of respect for the victims’ families.