CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The former longtime principal at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado where 12 students and one teacher were killed on April 20, 1999 by two students who then shot themselves is still attempting to turn the massacre into something positive.
“People may not necessarily go through a Columbine or a Virginia Tech or a Sandy Hook, but they are going to have some type of traumatic experience in their lives,” Frank DeAngelis said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“Hopefully, Columbine represents a story of hope.”
DeAngelis was in Charleston Tuesday morning to speak at the 2016 KidStrong Conference, focused on health in West Virginia’s schools.
In all, nearly 1,700 educators and healthcare providers were attending the conference which runs through Thursday.
His presentation, during what was a return trip to West Virginia, was titled “All Students Matter” and focused on school culture and leadership overall, not just the Columbine shootings.
Students, DeAngelis said, are looking for champions at school.
“They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” he said. “It’s all about relationships.”
DeAngelis retired in 2014 after spending 35 total years at Columbine as a teacher, coach and principal. Wherever he goes, he said those killed at Columbine remain with him.
“I promised them that I would continue to keep their memories alive and go and try to, hopefully, make the world a better place,” DeAngelis said.
Last July, he spoke to West Virginia school principals during the Center for Professional Developmentās Safe School Summit in Charleston.