Mother of Sandy Hook victim shares message of healing, resilience at Topsail High School
HAMPSTEAD, NC (WWAY) — More than 50 students, some accompanied by their parents, gathered Monday evening at Topsail High School to hear from Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son Jesse was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Lewis spoke about transforming tragedy into purpose through the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, a nonprofit she founded months after the shooting in memory of her son.
The organization offers a free kindergarten-through-12th-grade program centered on social and emotional learning, resilience, compassion and connection.
“That helps anyone to become the best version of themselves,” Lewis said. “To have self-control, to deal with things with personal responsibility, critical thinking.”
Lewis told attendees that school violence can happen anywhere and said many harmful situations stem from students struggling to manage emotional pain.
Her visit comes just months after officials say a possible incident was prevented after a K-9 safety check uncovered a gun in a student’s backpack at New Hanover High School.
“It’s important to know that it could happen anywhere at any time,” Lewis said. “There are lots of kids that are in a tremendous amount of pain and they don’t know how to overcome it. They are desperate for relief and so the only way they know is to take it out on other people.”
Several student groups at Topsail High School, including Pirates Strong and the Youth Advisory Council, helped organize Lewis’ appearance.
Pirates Strong President George Cilvillo said the message resonated personally. Cilvillo grew up in Connecticut and was 3 years old at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting.
Youth Advisory Council President Sydney Lederman said the presentation is helping create a more inclusive school environment.
“Definitely that making people feel seen is so important,” Lederman said. “When you feel seen and loved and those sort of things, you feel less inclined to do bad things and make yourself feel seen.”
Lewis said nearly 500 schools across North Carolina have accessed the Choose Love program through the organization’s website, including schools in New Hanover, Brunswick, Bladen, and Pender Counties.
She is scheduled to speak to the full student body at Topsail High School on Tuesday.
Additionally, her presentation was given on the 27th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.
