JRHS Writing BLOG

In Loving Memory

On April 16, 2007, a tragedy on a worse scale than even the Columbine shootings took place. A student name Cho Sueng-Hui shot and killed 33 of his fellow students at Virginia Tech. Much like Pearl Harbor, that day will forever live in infamy! With the horror however also comes tales of heroism, and working together in order to stay alive. One such tale is told in the April edition of the World Magazine.


A substitute teacher, Haiyan Cheng, was teaching a class 205 of Norris Hall when she heard loud noises which she associated with construction work. The sounds got closer, and it became obvious that it was gun fire. Peeking out her door she saw Cho walk out the door of a class room fresh from the kill with his gun in hand. Immediately she warned her class to get down. Several students then set into action something that could have ended their lives, but instead saved the lives of everyone in their room. They grabbed a table and shoved it against the door, and with their own bodies held it there. Several shots were fired in through the door, but they remained steadfast. The assailant soon grew tired of the game and moved on. The lives of at least ten students had been saved, all because a few students thought the lives of others more important than their own.


Many others tried to do similar feats that day. Many were successful, many were not. The way we react to this incident can and will decide life or death for people in situations we cannot hope to see. I do not pretend to have the answer, but let us at least remember the fallen.


Ross Alameddine, Daniel Perez, Rachael Hill, Liviu Librescu, Juan Ortiz, Mary Read, Nicole White.
20, Sophmore| 21, International| 18, Freshman| 76, Proffessor| 26, Graduate| 19, Freshman| 20, Junior


Jamie Bishop, Kevin Granata, Emily Hilscher, G.V. Loganathan, Minai Panchai, Reema Samaha.
35, teacher |45 Proffessor |19, Freshman |51, Proffessor |26, Masters |18, Freshman


Brian Bluhm, Matthew Gwaltney, Jarrett Lane, Partahi Lumbantoruan, Erin Peterson, Waleed Shaalan.
25, graduate| 24, Graduate| 22, Senior| 34, Doctoral Student| 18, Freshman| 32, Graduate


Ryan Clark, Caitlin Hammaren, Matthew La Porte, Lauren McCain, Michael Pohle, Leslie Sherman.
22, Senior| 19 Sophomore| 20 Sophomore| 20, Internation Studies| 18, Freshman| 20, Sophomore


Austin Cloyd, Jeremy Herbstritt, Henry Lee, Daniel O'Neil, Julia Pryde, Maxine Turner.
18, Freshman |27, Graduate |20, Freshman |22, Graduate |23, Graduate |22, Senior

I heard a lot about the tradegy that occurred in the US a few weeks ago.
It’s horrible to see how things like this seem to happen more often over the last few years..
Here in the Netherlands horrible things have happened too, though a smaller scale…
It’s interesting to see how horrible situations like these seem to change the society (for at least a while): from the individualism that we’ve gotten used to to the awareness that we, humans, really need each other!
I hope that we will never forget the people that offered up their lives for us in order for us to be free, to be able to live our lives the way we can now… And that we will keep an eye on each other!

I heard a lot about the tradegy that took place in the US a few weeks ago.
Also here in the Netherlands, we’ve seen things like this happen (though on a smaller scale).
It’s interesting to see how society seems to wake up (unfortunately just for a while) after something like this happens… moving away from the individualism we’ve gotten used to, to a sense that we really need to take care of each other to live in today’s world.
I hope we will never forget those who lost their lives in order for us to be free and to be able to live life the way we can now…

This article really touched me...almost as much as the event itself.The story of those students working out together to save their lives is so amazing.I really have no idea how i would react in such a situation.Im so thankful that God protects us everyday.It’s such a heartbreaking story though!

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