Tales of heroism lift town spirit

A worker who turned on the intercom, alerting others something was wrong.

A custodian who risked his life by running through the halls to warn of danger.

A clerk who led 18 children on their hands and knees to safety, then gave them paper and crayons to keep them quiet.

Out of the ruins of families that lost a loved one, out of a tight-knit town roiling with grief, glows one bright spot: The staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School who prevented further carnage through selfless actions and snap judgments.

In a classroom, Kaitlin Roig barricaded her 15 students in a bathroom, pulled a bookshelf across the door and locked it, telling them to be “absolutely quiet”.

Some staff members made the ultimate sacrifice.

After gunman Adam Lanza broke through the school door, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and principal Dawn Hochsprung ran toward him, Robinson said. Both died, Hochsprung while lunging at Lanza.

Teacher Victoria Soto, 27, hid students in a bathroom or closet and died trying to shield them from bullets.

One person who wasn’t in the school is being lauded for his grace: Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie died. He offered his sympathy to Lanza’s family.

“I can’t imagine,” he said, “how hard this experience must be for you.”