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Students console each other after the tragic events at Columbine High School in Colorado.

When Freshman Ryan DeKruif wears his “Littleton Lionfish” tee shirt at Calvin, usually nobody says anything. When he wore it this Wednesday, people noticed.

On Tuesday, two armed students at a high school in DeKruif’s hometown went on a shooting rampage that left 15 people dead and wounded another 28.

The tragedy has put the entire nation, including Calvin’s campus, into a state of shock. It has hit the Calvin students from the Denver area especially hard.

Freshman Ernie Krauth attended a youth group that was affiliated with Columbine High School.

“I called one of my best friends from the youth group and asked if everyone who went to Columbine was okay. He said everyone was accounted for — except Hannah.” As of press time, Krauth’s friend was still missing. “My heart literally dropped from my rib cage to my stomach,” he said. “To have something like that happen so close to home — words can’t even explain.”

Krauth found out about the shooting when DeKruif called him on Tuesday afternoon. The two Calvin students spent much of that evening on the phone to Colorado and glued in front of CNN.

DeKruif, who has worked with a search and rescue team that was on the site, recognized many of the emergency personnel and vehicles on television. If DeKruif were in Colorado, he would have been there on the scene, helping the Rapid Rescue patrol controlling traffic and the press.

DeKruif, who attended another school in Littleton, described the Columbine High School area as a great community.

“You have this stereotype that it only happens in the ghetto. But it happens everywhere humans roam,” agreed Krauth.

“It’s amazing what the world has come to,” said Krauth. “It’s sad for Colorado, sad for the nation, sad for the world.”

“When I called my mom, she was just frantic at the sound of my voice,” said Krauth, whose other siblings were at a lock down in a nearby high school. “I want to be there to help so badly,” he said.

Krauth and DeKruif also expressed confusion about the connection between God’s plan and the shooting. The day after the shooting DeKruif turned in a paper on Romans 8:28, which says “And we know in all things God works for the good of t hose who love him.” As he was turning it in, DeKruif recalls thinking, “this really doesn’t make much sense anymore.”

Other Calvin students were also affected by the tragedy. Freshman Calvin student James Price, who is a graduate of Columbine High School, has a sister who attends the school. She reportedly left class early on Tuesday and was not in the building at the time of the shooting.

Yesterday, Calvin held a prayer service in the Chapel at 2:30 to pray with and for the Calvin Colorado students and the events of the past week. “We also want to caution the community to keep their eyes open for signs of a tragedy like this happening at Calvin,” said Acting Student Life Vice President David Hoekema.

When the Colorado students were asked what the Calvin community could do to help them sort through this tragedy, DeKruif perhaps summed it up best: “Just pray,” he said.