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City schools struggle with Newtown tragedy
Educators prepared to answer students' questions but not planning to address it with them for now

Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, December 19, 2012

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The tragic shooting of 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Conn., school on Friday may have occurred far from the North, but Yellowknife educators say they are being hit hard by the news.

The Northwest Territories Teachers' Association issued a news release this week in response to the mass murder and suicide at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Gayla Meredith, president of the association, said all people who work closely with young children are still trying to comprehend the slaughter.

"I struggled personally over the weekend just trying to make sense of it," said Meredith, a former elementary school teacher who has been in the role of president since July.

"You can't make sense of something like that and that is where I think where the feeling of vulnerability comes from. You can't make sense of it."

Meredith said it is probably inevitable that children will come to school with questions but adds that adults are confused about the situation too.

"I think everyone is coming to school with questions and the important part is that there is support provided there, that school is a safe place to talk about these things and that parents are supported as well in knowing how to help and support their children," she said.

"I believe that in this time as all times when there are difficulties that parents and teachers are working together to ensure the best possible situation."

Paul Bennett, principal of J.H. Sissons School, emphasized the need for everyone to work together in this difficult time. He said he hasn't encountered questions from any students at this point but emphasized that it's important to keep the lines of communication open.

"The whole thing for any of these types of incidents, I believe, is that there is a disconnect and these perpetrators do not have a connection," said Bennett.

"All schools have to work on (building) connections to families and students. It promotes security but also promotes a sense of belonging."

Sissons, like other schools in the area, does have emergency lockdown and other safety procedures but Bennett said it seemed to him that Sandy Hook had proper safety procedures in place as well.

School assemblies are not being planned to address the incident at this time, said Bennett.

"You have to balance it with awareness, and we will do something but you don't want to incite panic either," he said. "You just look at the children (in Newtown) and I see my children. It is just an incredibly sad story."

Bernie Giacobbo, assistant superintendent of education for Yk Education District No. 1, agreed that the shootings should be dealt with delicately to avoid unnecessary panic.

"It is a very difficult thing because do you bring something up that? Kids aren't really aware of or deeply involved in or emotional about, or do you sit back and watch," he said.

"What the schools have done is they have talked amongst the staff and are going to be cognizant and watch anything that is different in the students and if they need any supports. So we don't want to create something but there is an awareness."

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