The document is an article about the 6th anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting, told from the perspective of the author who was a student there at the time. It describes the events of that day when a gunman killed 32 people on campus. It discusses the shock, grief and trauma experienced in the aftermath, but also how the community came together to support one another through the tragedy. Six years later, the author still feels sadness when hearing emergency sirens but has found meaning in honoring the lives lost and living every day to the fullest.

1. www.shelbystar.com The Star Tuesday, April 16, 2013 | 3A
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Virginia Tech
shooting
anniversary
I
fyou’veeverriddena
rollercoaster,oreven
drivenoverasteephill,
you’veprobablyexperienced
the“sinkingfeeling.”While
inastateoffree-fall,ourbod-
iesareessentiallyweightless,
soour
stomachs
feelvery
light,like
they’re
floating,or
sometimes
pushing,
theirway
intoour
throats.
I’veexpe-
rienced
thesinkingfeelingcountless
times,butgravityisn’t
alwaystheexplanation.
Sixyearsagotoday,the
sinkingfeelingenveloped
notonlymystomach,but
myheart.Myroommateand
Imadeitabout100feetout-
sideourdoorbeforeafriend
toldustogobackinside.
“There’sagun-
manoncampus.”
Fortheremainderofthe
day,wesatinourshared
VirginiaTechdormroom,
eyesgluedtothelocalnews
onoursmalltelevision.Each
timethenumberatthebot-
tomofthescreenwentup,
myheartsankalittlemore.
32.
Myheartstoppedwhen
thecountingstopped.I
feltnumbasIwatched
andre-watchedfootage
ofS.W.A.T.teamsswarm-
ingourcampus,students
jumpingoutofwindows,
andtheinjuredbeing
hurriedlycarriedawayfrom
thebuilding.Myfriends’
facesmirroredtheshockand
painfulsenseoflossthatI
felt.Asmuchasithurtmeto
seetheminsomuchpain,
Irememberhowgrateful
Iwastostillhavethemby
mysideinthatmoment.
It’sstrangehowso
manyimagesfromthat
dayaresearedintomy
memory,butthefollowing
weeksaresuchablur.
“Surreal”onlybeginsto
describehowitfeelstohave
yourhome-away-from-
homecrawlingwithmedical
vehicles,lawenforcement
officials,andlocal,national,
eveninternationalmedia
professionals.Thewailing
ofemergencysirensechoed
inmyearsforweeks,and
ittookmonthsforme
tobeabletohearthem
withoutimmediately
experiencingthenowvery
familiar“sinkingfeeling.”
It’seasytoassumethat,
aftersuchatragedy,students
mightbescaredtobeon
campus.Ican’tspeakfor
everyone,butthatwasnot
thecaseformeatall.Once
thecampuswassecure,I
didleaveforhome,butit
wasn’tbecauseIwasafraid
tobethere.Thefirstthing
Ineededtodowasbewith
myfamily,andIknowthat’s
whattheyneededaswell.
Weallneededthecomfort
andsecuritythatcomesfrom
beingtogether,gratefuland
humbledatthethoughtthat
ourfamilycouldhavebeen
onelesspersonthatday.
WhenIreturnedtothe
campusIhadcometolove,I
didn’tloveitanylessforthe
tragedythathadtakenplace
there.Justasonemistake
shouldnotdefineaperson’s
entirelife,oneeventshould
notforeverdefinetheplace
whereitoccurred.More
thananything,Iwillalways
rememberthewayweall
cametogether,Hokiesor
not,tomournthelossofour
friends,andtotrytofinda
waytohonorandremember
them.Theloveandkindness
shownbysomanyissome-
thingthathelpedrestore
myfaithinhumanitywhen
IwasafraidIhadnoneleft.
I believe in silver linings –
that no matter how terrible
something is, something
good can ultimately come
from it. It’s difficult to find
the good when the bad is
eating away at you, and
all you are left with is an
empty “sinking feeling.”
But regardless of how anx-
ious or uncomfortable that
“sinking feeling” makes me,
I will cling to it. Even when
it hurts, it is a reminder that
I am still here - a reminder
that at any moment, any
one of us could be taken
from this world. As painful
as it can be at times, I am
alive. And I will live my life
to the fullest, holding on to
every precious moment,
because that is the best way
to honor those we have lost.
ReachKatieGilbert
at704-669-3357orkgil-
bert@shelbystar.com.
Silver linings in sinking feelings
KATIE
GILBERT
KM police searching for armed robbersFromstaffreports
Two armed men kicked in
the door of a Kings Mountain
home, demanded money
from the residents and fired
several shots inside the house
before leaving, according to
the Kings Mountain Police
Department.
Officers responded to a
call of a suspicious person at
a home on the 700 block of
Katherine Avenue about 1:30
a.m. Saturday, according to
KingsMountainPolice.
When the officer arrived at
the house, the officer discov-
ered the door kicked in and
three people inside who said
two men came in, demanded
money and shot a gun at one
ofthepeople.
Detective Cpl. K.L. Hamrick
said there were several shots
fired inside, but no one was
injured.
Hamrick said the victims
did not know the two men
and the case is still under
investigation.
Kings Mountain Police are
asking anyone who has infor-
mation on the incident to call
Hamrickat704-734-0444.
Thefirstsuspectisdescribed
asablackman,between6feet
and 6-foot-2, with a slender
built and wearing a black, full
face clown mask and all black
clothing. Police said he was
armed with a silver and gray
semi-automatic pistol, pos-
siblyaRugerP899mm.
The second man is de-
scribed as a 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-
3 black man. He has a slender
built, short hair and was
wearing a black strap around
his face, a black coat and was
armedwithablacksemi-auto-
maticpistol.
Associated Press
Multiple memorials and ceremonies in Blacksburg, Va., and across
the nation are honoring those killed in the April 16, 2007, shootings
at Virginia Tech.
Be the first to know!
Follow The Star on Facebook and Twitter
for news around the clock.
‘A tremendous responsibility’
JeanieGroh
Starintern
A longtime Shelby High as-
sistant principal and Golden
Lion graduate will become the
school’s top administrator in
July.
David Al-
len, who has
worked at
Shelby High
School since
1995 in a va-
riety of roles,
will be the
school’s next
principal.
“I am tickled to death, but
I am scared to death. It is a
tremendous responsibility,”
Allensaid.
Jennifer Walker, the current
principal at Shelby High, will
assume the role of Cleveland
County Schools director of per-
sonnelservicesthissummer.
“I know I have a tremen-
dous legacy here are Shelby
High School to live up to,” Al-
len said. “I’m going to do my
besttodothat.”
At Shelby High, Allen has
served as an English teacher,
yearbook advisor, driver’s
education instructor and ten-
nis coach. Most recently, he
servedasanassistantprincipal
forthelast10years.
Allen, a native of Shelby,
graduated from Shelby High
School in 1986. He received
his bachelor’s degree in jour-
nalism from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill in 1993 and his bachelor’s
degree in English from the
UniversityofNorthCarolinaat
Charlotte in 1994. He received
his master’s degree in School
AdministrationfromGardner-
WebbUniversityin2000.
“My goal for Shelby High
School is to be the absolute
best high school anywhere,”
Allensaid.“Iwantpeopletobe
proud of Shelby High School
as the high school in Shelby
and we’re going to work hard
in every aspect to make sure
wedothat.”
Allen is married to Amy Al-
len, who is the assistant prin-
cipal at Shelby Intermediate
School. They have three chil-
dren, David Jr., Michael and
Katie.BothDavidandMichael
will attend Shelby High next
year. Allen’s parents, A. Don-
ald and Hazel Allen still live in
theShelbyarea.
Reach Jeanie Groh at
704-669-3333.
Shelby High grad, assistant administrator to take over as principal
Allen
3 dead, 130 injured as blasts
rockBostonMarathonBOSTON (AP) — Two
bombsexplodedinthecrowd-
ed streets near the finish line
of the Boston Marathon on
Monday, killing at least three
peopleandinjuringmorethan
130 in a bloody scene of shat-
tered glass and severed limbs
that raised alarms that terror-
ists might have struck again in
theU.S.
A White House official
speaking on condition of ano-
nymity because the investiga-
tionwasstillunfoldingsaidthe
attack was being treated as an
actofterrorism.
President Barack Obama
vowed that those respon-
siblewill“feelthefullweightof
justice.”
Asmanyastwounexploded
bombs were also found near
theendofthe26.2-milecourse
as part of what appeared to
be a well-coordinated attack,
but they were safely disarmed,
accordingtoaseniorU.S.intel-
ligenceofficial,whoalsospoke
on condition of anonym-
ity because of the continuing
investigation.
The fiery twin blasts took
place about 10 seconds and
about 100 yards apart, knock-
ing spectators and at least one
runnerofftheirfeet,shattering
windows and sending dense
plumes of smoke rising over
the street and through the
fluttering national flags lining
the course. Blood stained the
pavement, and huge shards
were missing from window
panesashighasthreestories.
“Somebody’slegflewbymy
head,” said a spectator who
gave his name as John Ross.
“I gave my belt to stop the
blood.”
People were yelling, “I need
mykids!”
“They just started bringing
people in with no limbs,” said
runner Tim Davey of Rich-
mond, Va. He said he and his
wife, Lisa, tried to keep their
children’s eyes shielded from
the gruesome scene inside a
medical tent that had been set
uptocareforfatiguedrunners,
but“theysawalot.”
“They just kept filling up
with more and more casual-
ties,” Lisa Davey said. “Most
everybody was conscious.
Theywereverydazed.”
Authorities shed no light
on a motive or who may have
carried out the bombings,
and police said they had no
suspects in custody. Authori-
ties in Washington said there
was no immediate claim of
responsibility. The FBI took
chargeoftheinvestigation.
Police said three people
were killed. Hospitals reported
at least 134 injured, at least 15
of them critically. The victims’
injuries included broken
bones, shrapnel wounds and
rupturedeardrums.
At Massachusetts General
Hospital, Alisdair Conn, chief
of emergency services, said:
“This is something I’ve never
seeninmy25yearshere...this
amountofcarnageinthecivil-
ianpopulation.Thisiswhatwe
expectfromwar.”
Some 23,000 runners took
part in the race, one of the
world’s oldest and most pres-
tigiousmarathons.
One of Boston’s biggest an-
nual events, the race winds up
near Copley Square, not far
from the landmark Prudential
Center and the Boston Public
Library. It is held on Patriots
Day, which commemorates
thefirstbattlesoftheAmerican
Revolution, at Concord and
Lexingtonin1775.
BostonPoliceCommissioner
Edward Davis asked people to
stay indoors or go back to their
hotel rooms and avoid crowds
as bomb squads methodically
checked parcels and bags left
alongtheraceroute.Hesaidin-
vestigatorsdidn’tknowwhether
thebombswerehiddeninmail-
boxesortrashcans.
He said authorities had re-
ceived“nospecificintelligence
that anything was going to
happen”attherace.
The Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration barred low-flying
aircraft within 3.5 miles of the
site.
“We still don’t know who
did this or why,” Obama said
at the White House, adding,
“Make no mistake: We will get
tothebottomofthis.”
With scant official informa-
tion to guide them, members
of Congress said there was
little or no doubt it was an act
ofterrorism.
Associated Press
People react to an explosion at the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston on Monday. Two explosions shattered
the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, killing three people, including an 8-year-old boy,
and injuring at least 130 people.
“
”
Somebody’s leg flew by my head.
I gave my belt to stop the blood.
JohnRoss
BostonMarathonspectatorwhowitnessedexplosions
SOURCE: ESRI AP
MASS.
CONN.
N.H.
R.I.
Atlantic
Ocean
Boston
50 km
50 mi
95
35
B O S T O N
DartmouthSt.
Boylston St.
90
1/4 km
1/4 mi
Two explosions at
Boston Marathon
finish line