On One Year Shooting Anniversary, Newtown Will Reflect Quietly

Newtown will be quiet on December 14 this year — the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting that occurred in Sandy Hook Elementary School, leaving 20 children and six adults dead.

E. Patricia Llodra, the town’s first selectman, thanked those who have supported the town over the past 10 months in a statement released Wednesday. She went on to say that the community would not host any town-wide events to commemorate the shooting's one-year anniversary.

“We ask now for patience and understanding as we approach the first anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook School,” Llodra said. “Our community is choosing to remember and honor those who lost their lives in that awful tragedy in ways that are quiet, personal and respectful — centered on the themes of kindness, love and service to others.”

Religious services will be offered in town, and schools will honor the tragic event “in ways that are appropriate for each level of student,” the statement said.

Various town organizations, including Parks and Recreation, C.H. Booth Library, Edmond Town Hall and the Senior Center, will host special remembrance events.

Llodora added: “In Newtown, we are encouraging every resident, young and old, to use the weeks leading up to this anniversary, as a time to formally commit to acts of service and kindness. Perform a kindness in honor of those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook School; and spend some time in reflection about how our future can be made better for all persons.”