There are moments in American history where many of us can remember where we were and what we were doing when they happened. For me, the Sandy Hook massacre was one of them. The shooting took place on December 14, 2012, at the elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, less than two weeks before Christmas. Like so many Americans, the news was heartbreaking.
But I was hopeful that the loss of 20 young and innocent lives — children between the age of 6 and 7 — along with six adult staff, would inspire gun control legislation. But 12 years later, few laws have changed. School and mass shootings continue. What has changed are the children who survived that shooting. Many of the survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting will be graduating high school this month, and they're now speaking out about how the tragedy has affected their lives.
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The students of Sandy Hook are reflecting on their classmates as they enter the next stage of their lives.
This June, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivors are graduating from high school. And in addition to participating in senior traditions like prom, senior skip day, and graduation, they’re also remembering their late classmates and continuing to fight for them. Recently, six of those students spoke with Good Morning America coanchor George Stephanopoulos about their future plans, coping with this traumatic event, and what they would like to see the country’s leadership do to stop future mass shootings from happening.
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Emma Ehrens remembers the shooter standing next to her.
Emma Ehrens, who was 6 years old in 2012, said the gunman stood right next to her the day of the shooting. "I remember being at the front of the classroom, and he came in and stood right next to me. And I watched all my friends drop," Ehrens said. "One of the victims [who] did not make it, he told me and a couple other people to run, and we did. We ran out of the classroom, out of the school, and on the way we saw bodies in the hallways and doors blown off the hinges. And we just ran and ran and ran, out of the school, out of the parking lot."
At age 6, Matt Holden didn’t process the severity of the situation completely. But he remembers seeing his mother after the shooting. "Once we finally got out of the school, I remember we were walking to the firehouse and my mom ran up to me crying, and I didn't know what happened at the time," he said. "I didn't understand the gravity of the whole thing, but I knew if my mom was crying, my mom was so, so scared that, you know, something horrible had happened. I'd never seen her like that before and I never have since. I hope I never do."
Henry Terifay takes one of his classmates with him daily.
Henry Terifay, who was 7 years old in 2012, carries one of his former classmates and friend with him. "I have my friend’s name tattooed on my shoulder so he stays with me every day." Terifay, now 18, says he does his best to remember his friend each day. He’d like for those in leadership to remember the victims as well.
When Stephanopoulos asked the students if they felt like the adults in their lives had failed them, Terifay said yes. "I really thought Sandy Hook would, you know, shock people and wake everybody up. But it just keeps happening over and over and over again." Terifay says the he is sick of the sorrys without any action.
Many of the students use their voice to fight for gun control.
In December 2023, Lilly Wasilnak, Ehrens, and another classmate, Grace Fischer, went to Washington, DC, to meet with legislators and attend the 10th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence.
"When I went there it was very eye-opening to me," Fischer told GMA. "We sat down with senators, representatives and their staffers, and that opportunity of me being able to go to Congress and speak to these people in such high positions of power … made me really want to fight for something that I wish to change."
Wasilnak says she's scared to send her future children to school.
Wasilnak, who was 6 in 2012, says the way things are looking now, she worries about sending her own children to school in this country one day. "As unfortunate as it is, it's going to happen to someone else, and it's going to keep happening to someone else until people like us have to make the change," said Wasilnak, now 17. "We worry about one day when we'll have kids, and I don't want to send my kids to school in the way our world is."
