To the entire Virginia Tech community,

We, the students of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School would like to
express how sorry we are for what happened at your school on April 16,
2007. The news of your tragedy struck us very deeply, for we too have
experience with school violence. In January of this year, one of our
students was fatally stabbed by a fellow student in a school bathroom.
While our experience was devastating, we cannot comprehend the depth of
your tragedy. Our close community was caught off guard, and we didn't
know how to react. We turned to each other, as the teachers, students,
staff, and administration supported one another. We were brought
together by our loss, and we have stayed together.

Our school was thrust into the spotlight of the national media as we
struggled to recover. We felt protective of our school and community,
and mostly wanted to be left alone. We hope you have not gotten lost in
the overwhelming attention of the past few weeks.

A student died at our school on January 19. It was a bleak time for all
of us. We have not gotten over it. We can imagine you won't either. But
we must tell you that it has gotten easier. And it will get easier for
you. We will never forget what happened at our school. It has become a
part of us, a part of who we are as individuals and as a community. You
will never forget what happened on April 16, 2007. You will carry the
memory of that day with you forever, but your community will continue
to grow and strengthen because of it. Eventually, you will regain a
sense of normalcy, and you will begin to heal. We did.

We share our story with you in the hopes that you will find solace and
hope in it. We send you our love and support, as others' love and
support meant so much to us in our time of darkness. We commend your
courage in facing this tragedy and wish you all the best.

Virginia Tech, L-S is thinking of you.

Sincerely,
Cadence Hardenbergh, '07
for the students of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
Sudbury, MA