Schools Prepare for Columbine Anniversary

By Jessica Portner

Several public events were being planned in Colorado this week to mark the anniversary of the deadliest schoolhouse shootings in U.S. history. But school officials, deluged with members of the news media, were taking steps to keep April 20 a low-key day.

Administrators at Columbine High School, the site of the shooting spree that left 14 students and one teacher dead, said several small events would commemorate the anniversary. The 89,000-student Jefferson County district, near Denver, has planned a 5K run to raise money for Columbine and two neighboring schools. The district will hold a private assembly in the high school's gymnasium and later will hold a public memorial in a local park, where students will release white balloons in honor of the victims.

Several other community events were also being planned. Angela Sanders, the daughter of teacher Dave Sanders, who was killed in the shootings, is organizing a rock concert to raise money for a new school library. A majority of the victims were shot and killed in the Columbine library, which...