The Esteves School of Education at The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, has announced that it is establishing the Dawn Hochsprung Center for the Promotion of Mental Health and School Safety. Dawn Hochsprung was the principal of the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where she along with 20 children and five educators, were murdered on December 14.
Hochsprung was a doctoral candidate in the college’s educational leadership program. She will be awarded her degree posthumously with her class in May 2015. She was a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and earned a master’s degree in education from Southern Connecticut State University.
“The idea for a center was born out of a desire to honor Dawn and to do what we can to prevent something like this from happening again,” said Sage President Susan C. Scrimshaw. “Safety is about more than locking doors. It is about teaching our children self respect and respect for others. It is about ensuring those who need mental health support receive it in a supportive environment.”