Kasey Ferrell

Staff Writer

    In Monroe, Connecticut; Sandy Hook Elementary School students resumed classes at their school on this cold Thursday morning.  They return only less than a month after a gunman opened fire at their school in Newtown, killing 20 children and six adults, in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

    Busses began arriving around 8:30 a.m. at Chalk Hill School, seven miles from their former building in Sandy Hook.  The snow-covered roads leading to the school were lined with balloons, green and white ribbons (the school’s colors), and signs welcoming the children.

    Around a dozen police cruisers were parked at the entrance to the school, and officers braved the 13-degree temperatures to direct school traffic.  But, “uniformed police presence inside the building would be toned down to allow a sense of normalcy,” Monroe Police Lt. Keith White told reporters on Wednesday.

    Volunteers spent several weeks moving furniture from the Sandy Hook School to the new facility.  School officials tried to completely recreate the classrooms to make the students as comfortable as possible; “Right down to the way the crayons were left on their desks.”, they say.

    “Re-establishing routines following any disaster has been found to promote resiliency while also reducing negative effects of a tragedy like that which occurred in our school,” Janet Robinson; Newton Schools Superintendent wrote in a letter to parents.

    Robinson announced on Wednesday that Chalk Hill will be renamed Sandy Hook Elementary.  She said at a press conference that, “the students coming in  completes the circle.  That’s what’s missing right now, getting our students back.”

    She added that grief counselors would be made available to students and parents, but the goal would be to “get back to teaching and learning.  “We will obviously take time out from the academics for any conversations that need to take place, and there will be a lot of support there,” she said, “All in all, we want the kids to reconnect with their friends and classroom teachers, and I think that’s going to be the healthiest thing.”

    Parents were encouraged to attend school with their children on Thursday, but not to ride with them on the busses.  “I want to reassure you that we understand many parents may need to be near their children on their first day(s) of school and you will be welcome,” Principal Donna Page had written in a letter to parents.  “That being said, we encourage students to take the bus to school in order to help them return to familiar routines as soon as possible.  Parents choosing to join their children may come to school after our 9:07 a.m. opening and will be welcome in the classroom or the auditorium throughout the day.” 

    A note to parents posted on the school’s website warns that parking for parents “may pose some challenges” and that shuttle busses  are being provided from an overflow at a nearby church.

    To “ensure a safe and secure environment,” Page continued, “we ask that no more than one adult family member accompany his/her child.”

    In wake of the shooting, new security systems were installed at Chalk Hill.  Newtown Councilman, Steve Vavrek said earlier this week that the school would be “the safest in America.”  This phrase was repeated by Monroe police as well as school officials on Wednesday, when students and parents were invited to tour the new school.

    Other public schools in Newtown reopened within a week of the shootings, but Sandy Hook Elementary has remained closed since December 14, 2012; when 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza shot his way into the school and opened fire before turning the gun on himself.  Lanza also killed his mother in their home in Newtown before going on the rampage.  Police officials say, “the school remains a crime scene.”

    “I want parents and families enduring the loss of their precious children to know their loved ones are foremost in our hearts and minds as we move forward,” Page also wrote.  “We recognize your needs are paramount in our preparations and planning.  Your strength and compassion has been and will continue to be an inspiration to me and countless others as we work to honor the memory of your precious children and our beloved staff.”