Remembering Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung In Her Own Words

Hochsprung, 47, was one of those killed in the massacre at the elementary school that she was devoted to.

One of the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Conn. on Friday was school principal Dawn Hochsprung, who friends remember as a “hero” who dedicated to helping kids. Hochsprung, 47, was also raising five girls at home – two of her own daughters and three step-children.

Via: robocoach.websitetoolbox.com

Reports claim that Hochsprung and another adult at the school ran towards the sounds of gunfire. Today reports that her friends say they were not surprised. Former colleague Gerald Stomski said that “when Dawn was the principal in our school system, we talked about this exact type of incident. She certainly was inspiring and put her children first, and it was no surprise to me that she came to them. She’s actually a hero today.”

Mark Boughton, the mayor of nearby Danbury, Conn., knew Dawn well. He said that “as a teacher I’ll tell you, our number one rule is to protect the health, safety and welfare of our children, and that was always at the forefront of Dawn’s mind in everything she did – health, safety and general welfare to make sure those kids were safe.”

Hochsprung’s twitter profile illustrates her passion for education and children, as every single tweet is enthusiastically devoted to her pride in Sandy Hook Elementary and its students, or to sharing important principals of education.

Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Welcoming our Kinders this morning... 74 new opportunities to inspire lifelong learning!

9:53 AM - 24 Aug 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Sandy Hook teachers, students, and parents planted a garden and donated their harvested veggies to the soup kitchen throughout the summer!

7:17 PM - 24 Aug 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Thanks to the Sandy Hook School community for a first day full of learning and fun!

10:27 PM - 28 Aug 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Daily homework for parents: model learning, help kids work through frustrating problems, engage in meaningful conversation, READ TOGETHER!

10:28 PM - 16 Sep 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Beautiful writing in the beautified courtyard... Way to go, Sandy Hook! pic.twitter.com/nCETJZCn

9:08 PM - 27 Sep 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Mary Ehrenworth, "When people ask me how much a child should read every day always I say, 'As much as humanly possible.'"

8:56 PM - 13 Oct 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Safety first at Sandy Hook... It's a beautiful day for our annual evacuation drill! pic.twitter.com/F1121xE7

1:47 PM - 17 Oct 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

In a fourth grade classroom right now... Completely blown away by the caliber of instruction and by students' deep thinking!

6:37 PM - 9 Nov 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Sandy Hook gardeners celebrate their learning after the fall harvest! pic.twitter.com/XLFrDKca

9:06 PM - 18 Oct 12

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Dawn Hochsprung @DHochsprung

Thanks to Sandy Hook families for your quick response to our early closing... I hope you are all safe, home, and warm!

9:41 PM - 7 Nov 12

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Sandy Hook parent Aimee Seaver told CNN “I never saw her without a smile. I believe she had the children’s best intentions all the time. She was always looking out for them.” Another friend said “even little kids know when someone cares about them, and that was her.”