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'Sandy Hook Promise' teaches inclusivity at Ray High School

Following the Sandy Hook Elementry School shooting, families of victims and many others have come together to spread an important message -- that one word can make a difference.

Corpus Christi (KIII News) — Ray High School students received a special visit Friday from the Sandy Hook Promise as part of National Hello Week to help prevent future tragedies in schools.

Following the Sandy Hook Elementry School shooting, families of victims and many others have come together to spread an important message -- that one word can make a difference.

"We teach schools across the country how to reach out, start with hello, and practice inclusivity and connectivity to help create safer futures," said Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise.

Hockley said she helped found Sandy Hook Promise after losing her six-year-old son Dylan almost six years ago. Since then she has been working to turn a national tragedy into a national mission.

"One of the core things that I've learned since my son was killed at Sandy Hook is that these acts of violence are preventable," Hockley said. "This is how I teach and how Sandy Hook Promise teaches kids to recognize those signs and create early intervention."

The organization has been making visits to12,000 schools across the country including Ray High School where earlier in the year students took part in a national walkout to honor lives lost through acts of violence.

"It's so simple really. We don't want a student feeling so alone that they have no other hope but to grab a weapon," Hockley said.

Ray High School Principal Cissy Reynolds-Perez said she was proud to see her students taking action to make everyone feel included.

"It makes me want to cry. They know how important it is to make sure no kid is feeling alone," Reynolds-Perez said.

High school senior Natalie Quintanilla is one of those students. She along with others founded Team Texans, an organization created to make school a safer place for students and eliminate fears.

"School is no longer a safe place I can go and learn, and that is the type of feeling that we want to demolish," Quintanilla said.

Quintanilla wants anyone feeling isolated to know one thing.

"Every single one of them is loved," Quintanilla said.

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