Manassas Remembers School Shooting Victims

MANASSAS, Va. — The victims of the Connecticut school shooting were on the minds of about 20 residents and students who converged on the Manassas Museum for a candlelight vigil.

Many of the students were from Manassas’ Osbourn High School, and that gathered at 5:30 p.m. Monday with school instructional aides to voice their sadness and support for the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Those who spoke said they were shaken by the shootings, and said they held family members close after they heard the tragic news.

“One of my cousins got off the school bus and all we could do was hug,” said Carlee Jones, 21, of Gainesville. “This is frightening, and this if happening in our schools what can we do?”

Searching for answers, another teenager who spoke said more religion needs to be introduced into public schools and said this tragedy shouldn’t prevent youth from becoming involved in their communities.

“I would hate to have my own child not come from school,” said Kaylah Leigh, 15, a student at Osbourn High School. “We are the future leaders and we have to make sure that this does not hold us back.”

The vigil was organized by Tina Murray who works as an instructional aide at the high school and also chairs Project Infusion – a group of students and faculty that meets at the school to raise awareness of issues facing youth such as gang involvement and human trafficking.

“Virginia has been hit hard with some of its own tragedy,” Murray said, referring to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007. “But Connecticut is not that far away from us. People at Sandy Hook, people in Connecticut need to know they are loved and that they have friends in the City of Manassas.”

Murray and students spent much of Monday gathering candles and preparing for the vigil. She asked permission to hold the event at the museum from Manassas City Manager John Budesky, who sent his condolences but could not be at the event, she said.

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School is the second worst school shooting in U.S. history. Twenty children and six adults lost their lives during the massacre on Friday.

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