Tribute-Rocori-Cold Sping School Shooting

On Wednesday, September 24, 2003, a tragic school shooting occurred within Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minnesota. There were two victims, one died that day (17yr old Aaron Rollins), the other 16 days later (14yr old Seth Bartell). The suspect is in custody facing murder charges, he is only 15yrs old. His name is John Jason McLaughlin. Both the suspect and the victims were known to the sons and daughters of the webmasters of Gary's Ranked Reviews and Happy2bMom's Place. A friend was in the gym when the shootings happened.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, families, and everyone effected by this
tragedy in the tight-knit communities of Rockville, Cold Spring, and Richmond in Minnesota.

Please join us in prayer - for our children and for all school students, for our country and for our world. Please, God, may this never ever happen again.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
John 16:33, NKJV

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
1 Thessalonians 4:16, NKJV

Jesus said , "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
John 11:25-26a, NIV

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To learn more about the shootings, please visit these links:
http://www.sctimes.com/rocorishooting/Wednesday1.html
http://news.mpr.org/collections/special/2003/schoolshooting/
http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/goodnewsumm/issues.shootings.html
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/2004/02/11/news/local/7923532.htm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/28/national/main575465.shtml
http://myway.mywebsearch.com/jsp/GGmain.jsp?st=bar&ptnrS=ZS&searchfor=rocori+shootings
http://www.sctimes.com/rocorishooting/Thursday5.html
http://www.sctimes.com/rocorishooting/Friday4.html
http://www.sctimes.com/rocorishooting/Saturday3.html
http://www.sctimes.com/rocorishooting/Photo_Gallery/

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In remembrance of the two boys that lost their lives family, friends, the community and businesses have raised enough money to build a permanent memorial. The memorial features two granite pillars, one 17 feet tall and the other 14 feet, signifying the boys' ages. A granite patio, benches, and shrubs surround the pillars. There is a 120 foot tapered walkway that leads to the center point of the memorial. The outer point of the rays and shrubs are be 70 feet. Six triangle-shaped granite "rays of hope" extend from the memorial with one of those granite rays extending into an existing school courtyard.

This memorial hasn't come without controversy though. There are many in the community that think that is inappropriate to have this memorial on the school grounds. Others think that the money should have been spent in ways that would benefit the community, such as scholarships or to help pay for a new bridge that is being put in Cold Spring.

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Here are some links so you can see the memorial, plans for the memorial and some of the controversy that surrounds it:
http://www.team-creations.com/rays/hope.htm
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/8315890.htm
http://weather.startribune.com/stories/462/4935849.html
http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_232074549.html
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/9438225.htm
http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?CMN/Local/feedback.mv+20040820042405+7+
http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?CMN/Local/read_archive.mv+1+1+14
http://miva.sctimes.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?CMN/Local/read.mv+20040830041152+6+

Click on these links to see picture tribute pages:
http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~courtp/Tributes/tribute9.htm
http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~courtp/Tributes/tribute13.htm
http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~courtp/Tributes/tribute14.htm

Click on these links to see the funeral programs for Aaron and Seth:
Aaron's: http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~courtp/Tributes/tribute4.htm
Seth's: http://www.rocori.k12.mn.us/~courtp/Tributes/tribute19.htm

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