When the students of Sandy Hook Elementary return to class after the holiday break, they'll be attending a different school. They'll also have an interim principal who will be a familiar face to some: Donna Page, who retired from Sandy Hook two years ago.
As NPR's Zoe Chace reports, the news was announced by a voicemail sent to the parents of Sandy Hook's students, in which Page (pronounced Pa-jhay), told them, "It is with a heavy heart full of love that I connect with you today. You may not know me, but I know you. I was principal of Sandy Hook School for 14 years."
Karen Dryer, the parent of a kindergartner at Sandy Hook, tells Zoe that it was a message that she was happy to hear.
"We were overjoyed," she says. "My husband and I listened to it together, and we were just beaming with smiles."
Page retired just two years ago. Her replacement at Sandy Hook, Dawn Hochsprung, died in Friday's attack that killed 20 children and six adults.
On Jan. 2, the students of Sandy Hook will begin classes at a former middle school in nearby Monroe, Conn.
"Page knows some of the kids already," Zoe reports. "Dryer says that's an incredible gift."
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