WVPI Safety Summit in Littleton, Colorado
WVPI founder Kathleen M. Bonczyk conducted an invite-only educational safety event called "From Columbine to STEM Highlands Ranch" in Littleton, Colorado.
The modern active school shooter era was established in Littleton at Columbine High School (CHS) on April 20, 1999.
"Columbine" is regarded as the inspiration for many subsequent school shootings, and multiple students, faculty and staff have been killed, wounded, injured and left traumatized in the more than two decades since.
The STEM school shooting occurred on May 7, 2019 in Highlands Ranch located just a few miles from CHS.
Attendees of the WVPI special event included parents of children lost at the May 18, 2018 Santa Fe High School and the STEM school shootings.
Also in attendance was Broward County safety advocate Elijah Manley who attended school with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) confessed mass shooter. Mr. Manley was also the first person born during the active shooter bomber era to run for school board (in Broward County home county to MSD) and received over 43,000 votes during that historic run.
WVPI summit attendees also traveled to the CHS Memorial for a personal meeting with retired CHS principal Frank DeAngelis.
Mr. DeAngelis related his experiences of April 20, 1999 including being shot at by one of the two teen perpetrators who murdered 12 students and one teacher that awful day.
(Pictured below Mr. DeAngelis and Mr. Manley at the CHS Memorial. Other attendees of the WVPI event may be seen in the background.)
Columbine's Deadly Legacy Continues.
Unfortunately, on the very day of the WVPI event in Littleton, yet another deadly school shooting took place.
Three students (including the gunman who committed suicide) died and two other students were wounded on November 16, 2019 at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California.
Then 24 hours later, two people were wounded when gunfire broke out at a high school football game on school property in Pleasantville, New Jersey.