After shedding tears during the moment of silence for the 17 people killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, students and faculty embraced each other in comfort.
Anna Bryson | The Crow’s Nest
By Anna Bryson
What used to be a holiday to celebrate love is now the anniversary of one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States.
To mark the one-year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, students at USF St. Petersburg wore red in solidarity and gathered outside of the University Student Center to remember the 17 lives lost on Feb. 14, 2018.
Student leaders, including Alexandria Domingo, senior health sciences major and supervisor of Student Government elections, read out the names and biographies of those who died.
Domingo attended J.P. Taravella High School, a school in Coral Springs just outside of Parkland, along with her friend Samantha Fiore, a senior political science major and peer coach at Compass.
“Valentine’s Day won’t ever be the same,” Domingo said, wearing a maroon #MSDstrong T-shirt. “I feel very sad and angry. It’s important to acknowledge the lives lost that day and to value mental health.”
Fiore said that J.P. Taravella and Stoneman Douglas were rival schools, but the tragedy brought the whole community together.
“I feel a lot of confusion,” Fiore said. “You never think it’s going to happen to your community. You never know who it could be.”
Many tears were shed during the moment of silence, but afterward, students and faculty embraced each other, reminding them of the love that still exists. About 30 students and faculty attended.
Of the 17 killed in the shooting, 14 were students. Since the shooting, nearly 1,200 more children have lost their lives to guns in the United States, according to the student report, “Since Parkland.”
The lives lost Feb. 14, 2018:
Joaquin Oliver, 17, a sporty young man who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in Jan. 2017.
Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, a soccer player and aspiring lawyer.
Gina Montalto, 14, a member of the winter guard of the school’s marching band.
Martin Duque Anguiano, 14, a witty, outgoing young spirit.
Nicholas Dworet, 17, a swimmer who committed to the University of Indianapolis and had dreams to swim at the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.
Aaron Feis, 37, an assistant football coach who was shot as he tried to protect students.
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, a talented and vibrant dancer who planned to become an occupational therapist.
Chris Hixon, 49, the school’s athletic director.
Luke Hoyer, 15, the youngest of his siblings who had a contagious smile.
Scott Beigel, 35, a geography teacher who was killed as he tried to bring students back into his classroom when the gunfire broke out.
Cara Loughran, 14, an Irish dancer who loved the beach.
Alaina Petty, 14, a member of the junior ROTC at the school.
Meadow Pollack, 18, an energetic young woman who had been accepted at Lynn University in Boca Raton.
Helena Ramsay, 17, a smart and caring young woman who had a determination to excel in her studies and a commitment to being kind to those around her.
Alex Schachter, 14, a kind-hearted member of the marching band who was always working on perfecting his trombone skills.
Carmen Schentrup, 16, a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist and panelist who had dreams to discover a cure for ALS.
Peter Wang, 15, a member of the JROTC who dreamed of serving our country. He selflessly held the door open for other students to escape the building, putting their lives before his own.
Information from CNN was used in this report.
