The
CL ac I< amas P rìnt
Opinion
This is a Clackamas
i
student's account of her expe
riences during the Thurston
tragedy.
My name is Amanda Gosser,
and I grew up in Springfield,
Oregon. I moved to Oregon
City in July, 1999. Whenever I
itf
tell people where I am from, the
first thing they ask is, “Spring
field? Isn’t that where that
shooting happened?” My reply
is always the same. I say yes in
a way that I hope will convey I
would rather not talk about it.
But I will never forget May 21,
si
mg * «a
1998 and how it has affected my
life.
I was at Springfield High
School. It was before classes
had started and I was assistant
teaching at the preschool lo
cated in our school. I bent over
to pick up a dropped toy when
I heard an astonishing an
nouncement over the speakers.
Minutes before, there had been
another shooting, but that
wasn’t the astonishing part—
the astonishing part was that
it was happening a few miles
across our small town at our
rival high school, Thurston.
At first we thought that
couldn’t be possible. Then we
had parents calling to make
allowed to get up and talk to;
sure their children were all right, her family food because myi
our class, shading memories
not knowing exactly where it ther works with her fatherJ
ere was alsdj
Tony
Case
was
another-per^L
and
feelings,
was happening. About one
la
night
memorial
i that Kristen
son
who
was
shot
while
knock
hour later I. was called to the
^Kinkel (Kip’sl Sister) at-
ing
Kip
Kinkel,
the
sh>
office for a message. The office
fended, when 1 the whole
was packed full of high school son of my slain teach
ground. Tony community came ; together to
students
worked across s arc their feelings and
whose parents
the street from grifee.
had called tell
I think the thing tf it af-
where I worked,
ing them to
/ will always be
fected
me the most (n xt to
and
he
used
to
come home, or
affected by this
Faith Kinkel’s murde: i was
come in to eat »
to make sure
during
his jri ¡siting Thurston HUgh
they
were
incident in some
break. For a "
okay. I took a
Amanda
way.
while Tony did
I
friend to the
Go&ser
not come in a
hospital for
CCC Student
that really
something un
me— that
related. While
shootings |
I was there, my
really
mother, who
works for the sheriff’s office, pened.
My brother Nik played foot
had to inform me that earlier
ball
against Kip whdh they
that morning they had found my
were
younger, and itching
all time favorite teacher, Faith
Kinkel, murdered in her home them we would ne r have
thought this could happen. My
with her husband Bill.
People always ask me how I boyfriend at the time, Trevor,
could be affected when I wasn’t was in the Thurston cafeteria
even at Thurston when it hap during the shootings. After-
pened. My response could go J ward, we cons tntly had to
on for hours. The first thing! leave places where we could
““ .........
-f
that affected me was the death hear people talking about that
of Faith Kinkel. She was my day, because it was too painful
Spanish teacher in high school, for him to hear J
After the s footing, many s ool a few d s after the road I vas blocked B
but she was more than that.
ooting. There as a fence off. vl len Nik and I
things
happen^ I in our commu-
Faith was a person who lis
1.
Blue
ribbpjaf
around
the perimett^of the finali) made it to thefci jence, we
nity
for
suppq
tened. When I was her a|
school,
and
people were put could tot believe our I Lyes. The
were
tied
arou
*ery
id
almos]
demic assistant, she knew y
mood as soon as I openedJhe standing, thing throug lout our ting things on the fence show- fence jas actually invl isible be-
every car an- ing their support. When my "«cause» there were s io
’ many
door. She was fun and car kg. town, and
:id red ribbons brother Nik and I visited, we tniagsl covering it. Th Are was
bright and cheery, and a real joy tenna. Blu
were worn
rhirts, and there were overwhelmed. Driving everton ling— ribbons, , flowers,
to have around school.
was
a
cand
lelight
vigil down- down the street we saw so poems, , stories, letters, timing
I was also affected by a |irl
town
by
tl
hc
courthouse.
At many visitors waiting to con candle is, pictures ah [much
named Teresa Miltonbewej?1
She was shot in the head at Springfield! (High, we had school tribute to the memorial grow more. It took us hours £ walk
Thurston, and while she was in assemblies paying tribute to ing at the fence; and there were from one end of the fence to
the hospital my parents took Faith Kinkel at which we were so many media vans that the the other. The sight was truly
______ L
WediNEsdAy, M ay 17, 2000
Springfieldremembered
The graphic
to the left is
from
Thurston
High
School's
Memorial
website.
7
amazing.
Our com
munity really
came
to
gether, wear-
ing
and
passing out
ribbons, rais
ing money,
and just be
ing there for
students
from
any
school in the
community.
Last year, at
the one-year
memorial, my
school handed out blue ribbons
to every car driving by; we deco
rated our school and our commu
nity with those blue ribbons.
I will always be affected by this
incident in some way. I will never
forget the sight of the fence at
Thurston, or look at a blue rib
bon the same way. And I will
never forget Faith Kinkel and
what she meant to me.