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| During the week of April 19,
2004, the Criminal Justice Training Center worked with the Napa Valley
College Associated Student Body to present a School Violence Prevention
Week in memory of the 13 victims who died during the Columbine High School
shooting on April 20, 1999. This was the largest and most tragic
school shooting in United States History. Two Columbine High
School seniors, two months away from graduation, carried out a plan that
was one year in the making that resulted in the deaths of 12 of their
fellow students and one teacher. While we may never understand
completely all of their motivations, what is known is that both
responsibles were victims of hate for many years. Since this
landmark massacre, similar incidents have been recorded in California and
in other parts of our country. We can take steps right now and right
here in our own schools to prevent such a tragedy from every happening
here. It's all about ending hate and it starts with the words we
use...
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The cornerstone of our School Violence
Prevention Week was an amazing presentation by Mr. Darrell Scott.
Mr. Scott is the father of Rachel and Craig Scott who were both students
at Columbine High School. Craig survived miraculously survived the
shootings, but Rachel was killed. Over 800 members of our community
watched and listened as Mr. Scott talked about what happened at Columbine
High School and what his daughter's life meant and how she impacted
others. He talked about reaching out to others through acts of
kindness in order to start a "chain reaction." Mr. Scott's
message was a positive one and, so much like Mrs. Judy Shepard, he
encourages everyone to focus on what we have in common and to respect that
which is different.
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| Police academy students also attended a very
special presentation that day by a first responder to the Columbine High
School shooting. Mr. David Lewis was an 8-year veteran of the
Douglas County Colorado Sheriff's Department. He responded as a
patrol deputy knowing that he had two cousins at Columbine High School at
the time of the shooting. Mr. Lewis provided students with an
overview of how this tragedy unfolded that day. Most importantly, he
talked about what has been done since that time to prevent a similar
event. Like Mr. Scott, the Columbine shootings changed Mr. Lewis
forever. He has dedicated his life and his career to preventing hate
through education and awareness.
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