On May 24 of this year, a shooter at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 pupils and two teachers. For parents, kids, and teachers working in schools, the road has been challenging ever since. According to KSAT-TV, Uvalde’s mayor, Don McLaughlin, declared in a city council meeting in July that this incident is thought to be the bloodiest school massacre in a decade. Now that schools are starting, Robb Elementary children will transfer to other schools in the same neighborhood.
The wounded kids and their parents in Uvalde have been fearing the beginning of the new school year. However, despite the presence of police cars at every junction and moms wiping away their emotions at the drop-off line, several youngsters showed remarkable fortitude and bravery.
Teachers and Administrators outside Flores Elementary School in Uvalde TX greet the students as they return for the first day of school since the deadly shooting last May at Robb Elementary. @KRLD pic.twitter.com/r0j5SuqIC6
— Chris Fox (@chrisfoxtsn) September 6, 2022
The 10-year-old AJ Martinez arrived at Flores Elementary on the first day of the new school year wearing a T-shirt with a collage of the teachers and classmates he had lost in the massacre with a wide smile.
AJ shared: “I slept good. I’m nervous because I’m not used to this school.”
On May 24, around three months ago, AJ, who was nine years old at the time, left school with blood on his face and a bullet wound to his thigh. He was shaken and furious that the Robb Elementary school massacre had taken the lives of his teachers and friends.
In July, AJ said that he saw the gunman enter his classroom and say, “Goodnight,” to his teacher before he started firing. In the hallways, AJ could hear police officers and observe his buddies being killed. He was scared and enraged by these events, but his mother, Kassandra Chavez, counseled him to calm down and channel his anger into something else.
“You have to be strong. Because that’s what they would want you to do. Remember them, carry their legacy, like they would want you to do,” the mother said.
Three months after the shooting, the 10-year-old appears to be really thrilled and is grinning incredibly hard as he gets ready for his first day at his new school. Chavez said that she is “nervous” and “just trying to be there supporting him.”
Wearing an “Uvalde Strong” T-shirt, Chavez paid tribute to the deceased and everyone who was still living. The majority of the staff at AJ’s new school also wore the maroon and white Robb Elementary uniform.
The last time AJ Martinez was in school, he was shot. Today, the Uvalde survivor went back to class. https://t.co/A9U5wbNp5l
— CNN (@CNN) September 6, 2022
Hopefully, the kids will quickly get over the pain and start a good new semester.