Newtown resident discusses school safety in Charleston summit
WBOY-TV , updated 2 hours 28 minutes ago
Lisa Petrovich, a former West Virginia resident and a current Newtown, Conn., resident, described the small Connecticut town as the fictional Mayberry where nothing bad could happen.
Residents never imagined the tragedy that would strike Sandy Hook Elementary, where 20 children and six staff members were fatally shot, she said.
Petrovich spoke to educators, law enforcement and members of the community during the Feb. 6 Summit on West Virginia Safe Schools, hosted at the Culture Center in Charleston.
Although Petrovich's children didn't attend at the time of the mass killing, Petrovich said she personally knew several staff members killed and parents of some of the children.
She recalled the principal, Dawn Hochsprung, as a "force to be reckoned with" and a person who was passionate about education.
"She had a lot of energy," she recalled. "She was the type of person who would bring the staff donuts every Friday.
She took her job seriously but knew you could have fun with it.
Petrovich also remembered first-grade teacher Victoria Leigh Soto, who attempted to hide her students in the closets.
According to reports, Soto ultimately died when children came out of the closet to run away. She put herself between the shooter and the kids.
"I was close to Vicky," Petrovich said, describing Soto as a "vibrant young lady."
"She was like my daughter. She was close in age to my own children."
Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50725754/