Rodolofo Gonzalez, Rocky Mountain News/AP A group of students gather together and raise their arms near Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. They were gathered yesterday in memory of those slain and injured in Tuesday's attack at the school.

After two heavily armed students ambushed classmates and faculty members in a suburban Denver high school Tuesday, killing 15 and wounding at least 20, the nation is left to deal with the aftermath.

Two students approached Columbine High School from a nearby soccer field around 11:30 a.m., opened fire in the cafeteria and then made their way into the school. Hundreds of students fled or took cover in classrooms and under desks as gunfire ricocheted off walls and lockers.

This incident echoes earlier school shootings, which have shocked the nation in recent years.

Taking precautions

Half the country away, in Ohio, schools, administrators, teachers and students have felt the effects of the Columbine tragedy.

Athens City schools are concerned about incidents of school violence, interim superintendent Joe Murtha said. Several schools have taken precautionary measures to prevent violent outbreaks.

"High school administrators and staff are aware of the potential dangers," Murtha said. "They have met on several occasions to discuss it."

Athens High School faculty members and staff members had an early meeting yesterday morning to discuss the Littleton incident, help teachers address concerned students and review the school's safety plan.

The high school also was prepared to counsel students as necessary, Principal Mike Meek said. A few students approached teachers to talk about the shooting.

"We're taking the matter seriously," Meek said. "I don't want to say that a similar situation couldn't happen here, because it could."

The school's three-year-old safety plan calls for all outside doors, except the main door, to be locked and monitored by staff members at all times.

A school employee, whom Meek referred to as a "roamer," walks around the building and the parking lot as a further safety precaution.

Meek said during the four years he has worked at the school, no student has entered the school with a weapon. If any student in the state enters a public school with a weapon, the punishment is expulsion for one academic year, as well as any applicable criminal charges.

Athens Middle School has had a few instances in which a student has brought a weapon to school, most recently in February, when a student was expelled for bringing a knife, Murtha said.

Picking up the pieces

SOURCE: The Washington Post Jeremy DeLuca / THE POST

As local and national schools struggle to deal with the aftermath of the shooting, others are attempting to explain why the two gunmen acted out in such a radical manner and understand the potential emotional plight of the surviving students, faculty members and staff members.

Rick Matthews, an Ohio University assistant professor of sociology with a specialization in juvenile delinquency, said students who feel stigmatized or rejected by classmates sometimes become angry, hostile and violent. Combined with accessibility to guns and violent ideas created by the media and other factors, students can be very susceptible to violent outbursts, he said.

"It is the ultimate expression of rebellion to engage in violent actions at schools," Matthews said. "These actions are very symbolic in schools which represent safety and middle-class values."

Raymond Lorian, OU psychology professor and department chair, said the well-being of the victims should be emphasized rather than the generalizations about the alleged gunmen's motives.

The victims of the incident probably are in the early stages of post-traumatic stress disorder, he said. Counselors can expect the bystanders closest to the violence to exhibit the highest levels of post-traumatic stress.

Looking ahead

As incidences of school violence seem to grow in number, future teachers expressed concern about the amount of preparation and training required to deal with such incidents.

Although OU education majors study classroom management, at least one student said the instruction has not prepared her for outbursts of classroom violence.

Rachel Karnes, a senior early childhood education major, said incidences such as the Littleton shooting have made her wary of teaching. But she said taking classes dealing with crisis management might alleviate some of her fears.

Junior education major Michale Lautenschleger expressed similar sentiments.

"I have not taken any classes yet in juvenile psychology," she said. "I do not feel very prepared for this type of situation."

Every education major must take two special education classes concentrating on student emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as behavior modification, said Richard Hazler, a counseling and higher education professor and chairman of the department.