The Teachers

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The TeachersThe Teachers
Jon Romano hadn't been to school in months. On a cold Monday morning last February, he wrote a four-page suicide note and left it at home beside his DVD of Bowling for Columbine. Then he slipped into Columbia High School in East Greenbush, New York, and sent a text message to several friends. "I'm in school with a shotgun—get out."

A few minutes later, gun blasts split the air. Assistant principal John Sawchuk and special ed teacher Michael Bennett ran toward the sound. Sawchuk grabbed Romano from behind. The student fired, hitting Bennett in the leg. "Give it up," Sawchuk told Romano, who struggled wildly. Finally, he let go of the trigger, and Sawchuk grabbed the gun before more shots were fired. Said a grateful but still shaken teacher, speaking what was on everyone's mind, "I had visions of Columbine."

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From Reader's Digest - August 2004
 
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