PARKLAND, Fla. – Wednesday will mark six years since the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
With the passing of the somber day comes the memories and anguish for so many of the survivors and victim family members.
Two survivors who were students at the time, Ivanna Paitan and Danielle Gilbert, were inside the 1200 building on the day of the shooting.
They were inside classroom 1213, an AP Psychology class.
Four students inside that classroom were shot. Carmen Schentrup did not survive her injuries. Benjamin Wikander, Maddy Wilford and Samantha Mayor were shot, but were eventually rescued.
Tuesday afternoon, Paitan and Gilbert sat down with Local 10 News’ Christina Vazquez to discuss that day, and everything that has happened since.
“It was like, here are all the funerals, and then you are back to school,” said Paitan. “It was very fast to try and go back to a normal day and it was never a normal day ever again at school.”
“Once the shooting happened, we had exactly two weeks off of school for 17 funerals,” said Gilbert. “I tried to be as normal as possible, but that was impossible.”
Audio from a cell phone video Gilbert took that day ripped through the courtroom during the 2022 Parkland school shooting trial like a shockwave.
“That classroom is such a huge part of who I am now, and not because of what happened, but the people who I was with, obviously have my best friend here with me, we keep in touch with our teacher who was with us that day, she is literally like a mom to us,” said Gilbert. “That classroom literally changed me as a person, but for the best.”
“Because our bond is so strong and it healed us so well, to be who we are today, that we can go out to be who we are today so it is a big deal for us,” said Paitan.
Watch the 4:30 p.m. report:
The 1200 building has been a haunting reminder of everything that happened that day in 2018, and every day since.
“It is very eerie, it is a crime scene, and it is still ongoing, the memories that happened that day,” said Paitan.
“But at the same time, it also is a reminder of what I overcame, and it is a reminder that I did survive and I did leave that building alive and that six years later I am still just trying to live my life the best that I can,” said Gilbert.
They said the demolition of the building, which is expected sometime this summer, will mark a new chapter in their healing journey.
“I think it was great to have that building still be up so that representatives and people in the government were able to walk through and experience what we experienced to a degree, but for the survivors and the families of the victims and the Parkland community, I think it is time,” said Gilbert. “We have seen it enough, we passed the building enough, so I think the building coming down will be a nice new chapter for the Parkland community.”
“Yes, I think that a really big step to our healing process is not seeing it anymore,” said Paitan. “Because some of us still live in the area, drive by the school. It’s going to be good. I am a coach at a gym and I keep spreading that same love that I learned that day because tomorrow is never promised, it never is going to be promised.”
Local 10 News reached out to Broward Schools regarding the 1200 building and received the following statement:
“We plan to begin the demolition process of the 1200 Building after this school year (June 2024).”
An extended version of the interview can be seen below: