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Virginia District Hit Hard by Graduate’s Killing Spree

At student gunman's alma mater, students and staff mourn other alumni cut down in deadly shootings.

Chantilly, Va.

When Tim Thomas took over as the principal of Westfield High School here this school year, he probably didn’t envision that fielding questions from the national media would be part of the job description.

But this week, Mr. Thomas, 41, stood in front of television cameras and soberly explained that teachers and students were trying to get back to their normal routine of classes and extracurricular activities, while grieving the deaths of two recent alumni, killed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on April 16 by Cho Seung-Hui, another graduate of the school.

“Since Monday, we have continued to provide a world-class education, and our students have been their usual excellent selves,” Mr. Thomas said April 18, reading from a prepared statement. “Our focus at Westfield High School for the next few days will be to maintain the integrity of the school day, while simultaneously meeting the emotional needs of our students, especially those who are experiencing extreme difficulty in...