Suburban Denver debates tearing down Columbine school

1 / 4Columbine High School DemolitionSigns outside Columbine High School are photographed, Thursday, June 13, 2019, in Littleton, Colo. The school district is considering the demolition of Columbine, the scene of a mass assault more than 20 years ago, and rebuilding the current school.

Then, a few days before the anniversary, a young woman described as obsessed with the attack flew to Colorado and bought a shotgun, killing only herself yet sparking lockdowns and new fears. School security has intercepted others with a similar infatuation with the crime and its teen perpetrators -- so-called Columbiners.

But Columbine, named after Colorado's state flower, represents more than one day to this suburban area southeast of Denver. Boisterous call-and-response chants of"We are Columbine" dominate school pep rallies and more solemn occasions including an April ceremony marking the anniversary.

The discussion of Columbine's future is likely to take months. An initial proposal would keep the school's new library, which was built after the attack, and construct a new school on the existing campus but further from nearby streets to give security more room to intercept intruders. "Until you've heard those thousands of people yelling 'We are Columbine' together, you don't really get it," he said."The sense of pride is real."

So construction crews repaired the bullet holes, replaced broken glass and covered bloodstains and burns with fresh paint and flooring before classes resumed in the fall. The library was closed off and later torn down. Its former location became an airy atrium in the school's cafeteria with a ceiling mural of an aspen tree canopy and 13 clouds — representing the dead.

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Obsession with 1999 attack could shape Columbine's futureTwo decades after the name 'Columbine' became synonymous with a school shooting, the community surrounding the school is debating whether it's time to tear down a building that also became a beacon for people obsessed with the killings. Should have been torn down 20 years ago It should have been torn down the day after the shooting. 1stWorld Problems...1st World Solutions... DNA tests are catching dog owners who don't pick up poo Some dogowners in the US who don't pick up their pet's poo, are being traced through DNA samples taken from the mess left behind. genetics bigdata
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