Littleton, Colorado(AP)
Community members in the suburbs of Denver mark the 20 th anniversary of the corumbyn High School shooting on Saturday, holding a memorial ceremony to celebrate the survival of the school and volunteering in the sanctuary, in front of the monuments of the 13 victims, do community cleaning projects and place flowers and cards.
"We were changed," said Dawn Anna, her daughter Lauren Townsend, among the students killed at the school library, a group of more than 2,000 people gathered in the park near high school.
"We are weaker in some places, but hopefully we are stronger in most places.
Our hearts have huge holes in them.
But our hearts are bigger than 20 years ago.
Three events ended-
Honor the victims and provide support to their families, survivors of the April 20, 1999 attacks, and students and staff at the school.
Similar incidents of violence have taken place in American schools for decades, and families of some survivors and victims have found themselves as support systems for people affected by other tragedies.
The speaker on Saturday portrayed healing and recovery as the result of the day-to-day work, not the destination that arrived in a fixed number of days, weeks, or years.
Forgiveness is achievable, however, and Patrick Ireland says he is a student, and when the camera catches him dangling in a second, he is called "in the window"
1999 The story window that fell when the school was shooting. He re-
Through months of physical and cognitive therapy, I learned to walk and talk.
"Our innocence has been stolen," Ireland said . "
"How can this be rewarded, except that forgiveness is a process. It takes time.
This requires practice, repetition, converting rhythm into action.
The afternoon ceremony sometimes feels like a reunion.
Former students introduced their classmates to their husbands or wives, and when a retired teacher led a call, the crowd jumped up --and-
Cheer in response to the school mantra.
"We are," shouted ivory Moore. The Voice was a little nervous. "Columbine!
The crowd replied that some people waved their fists in the air.
People with tears, especially photos of victims at different ages, suddenly feature videos on projection screens currently Colombian students pledge to honor their community services every year in April 20.
At the end of the ceremony, the school's principal, Frank DeAngelis, read the 13 names aloud in a rocking voice.
The bell rang 13 times, and every one had a white pigeon flying into a cloudy sky.
Starting in the morning, a group of tourists from the street stopped at a monument on a hill overlooking the school.
The site includes an oval stone exterior wall with references from officials and corumbyn students and teachers, as well as an inner ring with patches for each person killed.
People walk silently, stop and hug a friend occasionally, or wipe away tears.
Sharon and David Hampton brought white roses in the Memorial Hall, which opened to the public in 2007.
They have lived in the area for more than 30 years and watched three sons graduate from corumbyn.
No one was registered at the time of the massacre.
Sharon Hampton is a preschool teacher at a nearby primary school.
She wore a black T-shirt on Saturday.
She wants people to remember the message of "being kind" on the corumbyn anniversary.
"Take your time," she said as tears welled up.
We all face challenges.
Try to understand
We can invest in it every day and help each other.
"Other visitors left cards, bouquets and seed bags around the memorial plaque for use in Columbus, Colorado state flowers.
On a warm day, the sheriff's deputy patrolled the area on foot and by bike as minor league matches were taking place on nearby grounds.
On Saturday, students, staff and others from corumbyn took part in community service programs, including cleaning up the community, volunteering at homeless shelters, and spring cleaning at homes for seniors.
For survivors of the attack, the anniversary days are still full of emotions, including hundreds of people who fled the building without physical injuries.
Some describe their response to the month as "fog of April," mainly their memory of the sunny Tuesday that shocked the world 20 years ago.
This week, as federal authorities led the hunt for a Florida teenager, it put a new burden on them.
Authorities released her name and photos on Tuesday as she learned that she was obsessed with corumbyn and went to Colorado to buy a gun.
They said she did not make a specific threat, but dozens of schools, including corumbyn, locked the door.
On Wednesday, more than 400,000 children stayed at home during school hours in the local iron district. The 18-year-
In the foothills west of Denver that morning, the old man was found dead of apparent suicide, about 40 miles (64 kilometers)from Columbine. Long-
The planned event to mark the anniversary is on schedule, starting with a church ceremony on Thursday night and a community vigil at the memorial on Friday night.
The security situation in Denver remains grim.
Regional schools within a week.
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