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A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 15 February 2019
Parkland shooting victims are remembered in silence

By KELLI KENNEDY, ADRI- pushing campus safety.
ANA GOMEZ LICON and Victim Joaquin Oliver's girl-
TERRY SPENCER friend, senior Tori Gonza-
Associated Press lez, organized a group of
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Stu- dozen students and alumni
dents at Marjory Stone- to read poems to a large
man Douglas High and crowd outside the school
other schools across the in the late afternoon. They
U.S. bowed their heads in brought a life-size statue of
a moment of silence and Oliver, who was 17.
took part in volunteer proj- "My mind runs each and
ects Thursday to mark the every route that could
anniversary of the shooting have saved your life," she
rampage that claimed 17 read tearfully. "It wasn't Cu-
lives. But for many Parkland pid shooting arrows of love
students, the tragedy was — it was an AR-15."
still so raw they couldn't Hundreds turned out at a
bring themselves to set foot Parkland park for a late-
in the building. evening community vigil.
Fewer than 300 of the 3,200 Bev Capasso, a nurse who
students at the high school treated some victims, said
showed up for what was Suzanne Devine Clark, an art teacher at Deerfield Beach Elementary School, places painted she hoped the ceremony
only a half-day, with classes stones at a memorial outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the one-year an- "will help us heal. It's been a
cut short so that the teen- niversary of the school shooting, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, in Parkland, Fla. horrendous year."
agers would not be there Associated Press Elsewhere around the
around 2:20 p.m., the trau- country, at Broadman High
matic moment last year "There's all this emotion and tions since the Vietnam era. was "a bit emotional and a in Youngstown, Ohio, the
when gunfire erupted. it's all being concentrated Many Stoneman Douglas little intense" as the princi- school rang a chime 17
Senior Spencer Bloom back on one day," Bloom students arrived wearing pal read the victims' names times and honored local
skipped school to spend said. the burgundy #MSDStrong over the public address sys- first responders. But in a
the day with students from The massacre on Feb. 14, T-shirts that have become tem. sign of the times, an active
the history class he was in 2018 — Valentine's Day an emblem of the trag- Sophomore Julia Brighton, shooter drill was also held.
during the shooting. He — inflamed the nation's edy. Outside, clear plastic who suffered nightmares Senior Jack Pendleton
said he struggles with pan- debate over guns, turned figurines of angels were for months after the gun- helped plan the day's an-
ic attacks and feared he some Parkland students erected for each of the man killed three people niversary activities. "We turn
might have one if he went into political activists and 14 students and three staff in her classroom, placed away from the dread and
in to school. gave rise to some of the members killed. flowers at the memorial have to look more toward
biggest youth demonstra- A moment of silence was outdoors instead of going who's helping us," he said.
observed there and at inside and "putting myself Students at Maryland's
other schools across Florida through that." Bethesda Chevy Chase
and beyond at 10:17 a.m., Victims' families said they High School displayed 671
a time selected to denote would spend the day quiet- white T-shirts bearing the
the 17 slain. ly, visiting their loved ones' names of teenagers killed
Reporters were not allowed graves or participating in nationally by gun violence
inside the school, but stu- low-key events like a com- last year.
dents packed lunches for munity walk. At Fort Lauderdale High, a
poor children in Haiti as part Lori Alhadeff posted an 30-minute drive from Stone-
of a number of volunteer open letter to her 14-year- man Douglas, junior Jake
projects undertaken to try old daughter Alyssa, who Lynch paused with 20 other
to make something good died in the shooting. Al- students in his law class as
come out of the tragedy. hadeff remembered how the school observed its mo-
Grief counselors and thera- Alyssa didn't want to go to ment of silence.
py dogs were made avail- school because she didn't "It's a permanent sore spot,"
able along with massages have a valentine. But when Lynch said. "Forever, me
and pedicures. An inter- she dropped her daughter going forward, I'll feel this
faith service was sched- off, she put a pair of dia- day, and this time and
uled for later in the day at mond earrings in Alyssa's those names. It reminds me
a nearby park. ears and gave her a choc- of where I want the world to
Freshman Jayden Jaus, 14, olate bar to make her smile. be. ... From suffering, better
said the moment of silence They told each other, "I things come out."
love you," and Alhadeff In New Mexico, a student
watched Alyssa walk away at V. Sue Cleveland High
in a black and white dress School fired a shot in a hall
and white sneakers: "Your and ran away, authorities
long, dark hair dangled. said. He was soon cap-
Your makeup looked just tured. No one was hurt.
right." The former student ac-
"The last time I saw you cused of opening fire with
alive," wrote Alhadeff, who an AR-15 assault rifle in the
was elected to the Broward Parkland attack, Nikolas
County school board after Cruz, now 20, is awaiting
the shooting on a platform trial.q