CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It was as if time stood still for a room packed with West Virginia principals Thursday morning as they listened to the tragic story of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.
Frank DeAngelis, the former principal in Littleton, Colo., described the horrific day when two armed students killed 12 children and a teacher in a massacre that shocked the nation and forever reshaped school safety discussions worldwide.
When DeAngelis retired in 2014, he decided to travel the world to help school leaders learn from his journey and to teach them how to rebuild a community through recovery and hope.
“We took a situation which most people would never go through and we’re standing here saying we are Columbine and we’ll remember the 13, but we also are Columbine, a school of hope,” said DeAngelis following his presentation for the Center for Professional Development’s Safe School Summit at the Charleston Marriott Hotel.
Brad Simmons, the principal at East Hardy High School in Hardy County, said he was moved by what DeAngelis had to say about the importance of student relationships in the school system.
“I’m a firm believer that if you have the backing of the students, you have the backing of the parents. If you have the backing of the parents, you have the backing of the community,” said Simmons. “None of us would have a job if we’re not for the students.”
DeAngelis said he wants principals to know those relationships start in the classroom above anything else.
“Test scores and data is important, but we can’t underestimate the relationships with kids,” he said.
Tears were shed as DeAngelis discussed the minutes leading up to when one of the gunmen almost took a shot at him. In the hallway, DeAngelis recalled seeing a few girls who needed to escape the gunman’s path of walking toward them, so he took out his ring of keys and just so happened to grab the one key that opened every door in the school — a moment that never happened to him before.
“Some of the things he talked about none of us could ever envision happening,” Simmons said.
DeAngelis recalled the resonating sound of shots being fired, broken windows, the exact location of where the 13 died, blood stains and food left behind in the cafeteria. The students were served Chinese food that day, but after the shooting he said the look of that lunch would bring back nightmares.
Ketchup on lunch tables reminded students of blood. Seeing fireworks at a baseball game reminded DeAngelis of the shots he heard and witnessed that day. From that point on, the curriculum at Columbine changed where students could no longer be shown World War II films that included horrific images that could re-traumatize them.
Since that day, the school has moved forward through support during the healing process, even though DeAngelis said the school would never be the same.
Originally, he wanted to retire in 2002 — the year of the last graduating class from the time of the shooting. Instead, he said he came back for 12 more years because years later he saw those students who had children of their own that told him “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”
DeAngelis emphasized to administrators that in order to come out of the tough road he had to travel down, more than anything, he couldn’t do what he did alone. He went for counseling, which some looked at as a sign of weakness, but for him he described it as “a sign of support” and that he didn’t learn how to deal with these issues in principal school.
“I think each principal needs a very strong mentor,” agreed Simmons. “Someone to keep these young principals on the job and not give them on-the-job training.”
Simmons said one thing he wants to bring back to East Hardy is the message of safety.
“I think the big thing is training staff and students. We don’t want to forget the students,” he said.
DeAngelis said it’s all about creating a welcoming environment where kids can feel “apart of something special,” just like he was able to do at a school he never gave up on.