SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The Sandy Hook Elementary School joins a sad and lengthening list of names in recent U.S. history. Since 12 students and a teacher were killed at Colorado's Columbine High School in 1999, there have been scores of other school shootings - so many it may be hard to recall all the names: Red Lake, Nickel Mines, Virginia Tech and Chardon High School are just a few of the names that have become branded by tragedy. Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio spoke with Frank DeAngelis, the principal of Columbine High School.
FRANK DEANGELIS: Unfortunately, the elementary school in Connecticut now becomes a part of this club, a club that we know is tragedy, of heartbreak, and no one wants to be a part of that club. But what we have to do, no one asked us to be a part of it, but now how do we help each other.
SIMON: The Columbine principal says people often ask him if a community ever feels normal again. He says...
DEANGELIS: You have to redefine what normal is, and I think people really feel that all of a sudden you're going to wake up some morning and everything's going to be back to the way it was. Their lives have changed forever.
SIMON: Frank DeAngelis of Columbine High School. We will have more coverage of events in Newtown on NPR °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ and on npr.org. This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ. I'm Scott Simon. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.