Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
By JEFF WRIGHT - Bulletin Staff Writer
Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School was “hit sharply,” as events unfolded on the normally quiet Virginia Tech campus, Principal Moriah Dollarhite said.
“Everyone in this building either went to, knows someone who went to or knows someone who’s going to (Virginia Tech) now,” she said.
The overwhelming response to the shootings at the school was “more of a what we can do, because we want to do everything we can do,” Dollarhite said.
Everyone in the school, she said, has wanted to in some way “show support for not only the college,” but everyone affected by the terrible events.
Friday, the sign welcoming students, faculty and visitors to the school read “WE ARE ALL HOKIES TODAY.”
The halls resembled the streets of Blacksburg with the anticipation of a fall football game the next afternoon, as maroon and orange clothing created a “wave” of Tech colors that Dollarhite said was overflowing the school.
Faculty and students at F-C joined people across the nation in support of Tech by participating in “Hokie Hope,” an alumni-led declaration that Friday was the “Orange and Maroon Effect” day.
Eighth-grade science teacher and 1994 Tech graduate Warren Fisher, described by Dollarhite as “the ultimate Hokie fan,” made sure that as many people as possible were able to show their support by donning Hokie garb.
He brought in two large garbage bags of Tech T-shirts, ties and other items for students and faculty who didn’t have Hokie clothing to wear for the day.
As a huge sports fan, Fisher recognizes that sometimes rivalries exist between students and alumni of competing schools. But that was tossed aside lately as everyone has “come together for something that’s more important” than a rivalry, he said.
Eighth-grader Robert L. Denny, son of Kathy M. Denny of Martinsville, said his cousin, Michael Atkins, was three buildings away from Norris Hall when the shootings occurred.
“So many people died. It’s sad for the families and they need some support,” Denny said.
In addition to wearing Tech clothing, faculty and students have taken donations to be given to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, hung signs on school walls and tried to offer their support in as many ways as possible, Fisher said. |
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