Sandy Hook Elementary School

About a month ago, a gunman killed 20 children and 6 educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Now, parents and residents of the Connecticut school are debating on what to do with the school.  The article, "Newtown debates future of Sandy Hook Elementary School after tragedy that claimed 26 lives” discuses the opinions of the concerned residents. The shocked residents are, well, in shocked say that they wouldn’t want to send their kids back to the original Elementary school. On the other hand, others want the school to be renovated and to remove the areas where the victims were killed. In the article, the author includes many voices of both sides.

The author wants the reader to feel that their opinion counts to. They name out all the voices of both sides. For example, they quoted Susan Gibney, who lives in Sandy Hook, “I wouldn't want to have to send my kids back to that school. I just don't see how the kids could get over what happened there.” This gives the reader think that the event that happened at the school is already horrible enough. The reminder that the children will have to go through will be horrifying if the school reopens.  On the other hand, Fran Bresson, a retired police officer who attended Sandy Hook Elementary School, thinks that the school should reopen, but “the hallways and classrooms where staff and students were killed should be demolished.” He says, "To tear it down completely would be like saying to evil, 'You've won,’” This says many to the readers. Bresson wants the school to reopen, but with fresh starts in the places of the old ones. The author shows the reader both sides because they want the reader to understand that there are many decisions to be made about Sandy Hook Elementary School. They include quotes from the parents and residents of the school to give us perspectives. They also include decisions that have been made in the previous years about similar situations. For example, the author tells the reader about Columbine High School’s shooting aftermath. The school reopened several months after the shooting. Crews removed the library, where most of the victims died, and replaced it with an atrium. Another school tore down the original school where the shooting took place and built a new school a few hundred yards away.
The author shows the reader many perspectives and the decisions of similar situations in the past.

In my opinion, I think it is really horrible to think of going back to the school without any changes. I mean, if you had to go back to the school, you would feel like the presence of the victims “ghosts” are still there. Or may the fact that it gives you the willies that you are in the same place where the victims were killed. It’s really hard to explain the feelings and thoughts of a person who had to go back to the school where no changes were made. The author has shaped my mind to think in other ways. I mean, I’d like the school to be either torn down entirely or renovated. But then on the other hand, I wouldn’t want my school to be torn down. It’s like taking your home away. The school has created many memories for many students and residents. Tearing it down would be taking a piece of their memories and throwing it out. It’s would not be fair to the ones who
don’t want any drastic changes to the school. I’d like to know the thoughts of the children on what to do with the school. I really want to understand what they feel about the whole situation. I know some are shocked about the whole shooting, but I’m sure they have opinions about what to do with the school. I’d like to also know the thoughts of the children about guns. Because of guns, the shooting happened. Right now, the issue about guns is very worldly. I’d like to know what the children feel about the controversial topic.

So really to sum up, I’d like the residents and parents of the Connecticut school to really think about what they’re going to do about the school; to torn it down completely, to renovate the areas where the victims were killed, or to reopen with no changes. The issue is really hard to think about while knowing that there has to be serious changes happening.