Lauren Gabrielle Rousseau was 30 and had recently taken a full-time substitute teaching position at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. By accounts from people who knew her she loved working with young children and had been looking forward to a Friday evening with her boyfriend on December 14, 2012; she had even baked cupcakes for the occasion.

That morning a 20-year-old, Adam Lanza, fatally shot his mother, then drove to Sandy Hook. Shortly after 9:30 a.m. he forced his way into the locked school carrying a semi-automatic rifle and entered two first-grade classrooms, including Room 8 where Rousseau was teaching. Reports say she tried to shield the children by hiding them in a bathroom; Lanza forced into the classroom and fatally shot Rousseau, a behavioral therapist, and fifteen first-grade students. The gunman then died by a self-inflicted wound as first responders arrived. The motive remains unclear.

Does anyone have memories of Lauren’s work at Sandy Hook or knew her as a teacher and can share what she was like?