officials are working overtime here at chuck hill middle school in nearby monroe, connecticut. inside, teachers and officials are working around the clock to recreate sandy hook elementary room by room with painstaking detail. using photos taken inside the school, they're creating a carbon copy of each classroom from what was on the walls, right down to the crayon left in the desk. exactly as it was friday when the school day was savagely cut short. but what if creating that exact environment only triggers the trauma again? >> it might for some kids. it might be a bit wedge. >> reporter: dr. jamie howard is a child psychologist who specializes in post traumatic stress. >> we do try to expose kids to triggers of the trauma because avoiding triggers or avoiding things that remind kids of trauma, and grown-ups, too, just serves to maintain the anxiety. >> reporter: they're ripping out toilets designed for middle schoolers and installing new bathrooms better suited for grade schoolers, hoping to reopen after winter break. why are they in such a hurry? >> it's really important to ma

now he and the rest of his classmates will attend chalk hill school in monroe, connecticut. but kenneth's mom says he's hesitant. >> he said he won't go back unless there is a police officer at every door. >> kenneth was saved by his music teacher who locked the door before the gunman could get in. >> he heard screaming and gunshots and the room he was on, was being banged on by the gunman trying to get in. >> reporter: school officials started grief counselling for students today. canfield hasn't sought counselling for her son yet. >> it's just really sad. they are like 6, 7 years old. >> reporter: but 17-year-old faaria ansari says she needs it. >> i definitely will take advantage of the counselling. >> what i fell parents is to look for any change in behavior. >> reporter: jeannie pasacreta creta is a child psychologist in newtown, she has been talking with grief stricten parents in newtown. >> what they want is to be told it's not going to happen to them. it's not going to happen to them. sadly, i can't tell them that. >> reporter: for now erica canfield said she won't r

. >> the first victim 6 years old will be tomorrow at the cemetery at monroe connecticut. with more on the victims their families and the president's touching remark let's go back to new town and fox news correspondent molly lion. i heard sobbing in the background as the president was reading the names of these little victims particularly. tell us more about them. what have you learned now that we are in this 72-hours following this devastating horrible massacre. what more do you know? >> a tremendous amount of sadness as you mentioned, geraldo. it all began we knew v-- there would be 20 children 6 women. now that we are learning about each of them and seeing their faces it looks much more rool. take emilie parker a 6-year-old girl a big sister a big smile. her father says she was beautiful blonde and always happy. he says she was a budding artist who would spread her love through drewiawing. olivia engels they have a memorial fund filled with christmas themed photos in her memory. >> daniel barton 7 years old the youngest child of mark and jackie barton. he was a first gr

school in nearby monroe connecticut is being prepared for the student of sandy hook when tame for the youngsters to return to class. >> laura is in the newtown village of sandy hook tonight and she filed this report. >> you are worried about going back. >> yes. yes. >> it's a community still anxious. as children return to school in newtown, connecticut. class were his back in session today at all schools except sandy hook elementary where 20 children and 6 staff members try to protect them were murdered last friday. >> i know a lot of people are nervous. people really don't want to be here. >> as parent who send our children to school and we want to see them back. we want them to come back home. you know we want to hold them and hug them and love them and we want them to come back home. at the end of the day. >>reporter: mean time in monroe a welcome sign hangs across the street from the shut erred middle school that is being transformed in a campus for displaced sandy hook stichbilitys i hope they are able to cope witness. i don't know if they are ready to even go back to school any

january 2nd, they are going to be going to school in the chalk hill elementary school in nearby monroe, connecticuts asked the media to stay away when classes resume to protect the children. that's the right thing to do. we're going to do it. we can't imagine how hard it will be for those children to return to school and we wondered whether they are going to want to return to their own school building in the future or not. people i spoke to in newtown felt that the school should be demolished and rebuilt. on tuesday we met rod, a long-time newtown resident whose 4-year-old is set to attend sandy hook elementary next year. so do you want him to go there? >> without hesitation. they are going as long as the school is going to remain open. we want it to remain open. some people may not. everybody has their perspective. maybe if it's bulldoze and rebuilt, we just love sandy hook. it's a little nook of newtown and we would love for the kids to stay in that school. >> they love the school but raising that question of whether it should be bulldozed and rebuilt, it's a question that a lot of people of newt

they will eventually use the chalk hill school in monroe, connecticut. from here. >> people nationwide are paying respects with the twitter campaign, urging everyone to wear green and white today. those were -- those are sandy hook school colors. president obama was here, consoling grief-stricken parents and bringing them a message. >> i come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. >> our main focus is on the victims, but we are also learning more about the gunman today. a relative says he was pulled out of the newtown school system by his mother, who was unhappy with their plans for her troubled son. >> and you saw a moment ago as the law enforcement officials walked into where they were holding a vigil and how people were cheering and patting them on the back. such an emotional moment on the vigil. they have been a rock for this community. imagine what they have seen in responding to that elementary school. must be a on horrible thing for them. we want to turn to john lott, author of a book called "more guns, less crime." that's his theory in a nuts

students there will go back to classes tomorrow at a different school in the neighboring town of monroe, connecticut. today two more young victims, 6-year-old jessica rekos and 6 jerld james mattioli are being laid to rest. wakes will be held for first graders charlotte bacon and daniel gerrard barden and for a teacher that faced down the gunman. joining us now from newtown nbc's greg melvin. the sadness is unremitting. tell us about the mood there as they begin to bury these children. >> you know, one of the more touching moments here so far, andrea, today you mentioned gts james as the funeral procession was leaving town, presumably, from the church to the graveyard people stopped on the opposite side of the road and they got out of their cars, and some folks put their hands over their hearts. they put their hats over their hearts as well. that just gives you a sense of the kind of decisions you can see behind me the monument continues to grow here. there are monuments, makeshift memorials all over newtown, and they continue to grow. meanwhile, though, here's the latest on the investigation. at th

be going back to class but when they do they will be going to a different school in nearby monroe, connecticuten miles away from where sandy hook elementary stands. >> understood. all across the country schools can relate. safety is going to become a big issue in the country. ken trump is the president of the national school safety services. >> good morning. >> how are parents across the nation reacting to this? >> parents feel hopeless, helpless and truly powerless in many cases. i am getting e-mails from across the country as well as talking with people in my own backyard. and i think that part of the problem is we are looking at the issue of the school had security. they did the right things and it didn't work. i am suggesting to people that they take a slightly different look in saying we did not have the desired outcome can everyone surviving but i also believe that the things that they had in place actually contributed to saving more lives and preventing greater losses. there are a couple of different ways to do that. part of that comes into helping feel that they are not helpless and ho

other equipment from the school so it can be moved to another school, chalk hill elementary in monroe, connecticut. that is where the sandy hook kids who survived the shooting will attend classes later this week. he mentioned about all the broken hearts in the community and how important it is to conduct the investigation thoroughly and this is last press briefing that we expect to get for some time as they look into motives and what happened here and why. police told us they're holding two crime scenes indefinitely and where nancy lanza lived and where she died after he shot her multiple times. sandy hook is still a crime scene that is where six adults and 20 children were killed. they recovered significant evidence from the home that apparently includes one computer and telephones and other electronic evidence they will be searching through. they're interviewing every single witness. that will unfortunately have to include the children from the school who survived the shooting. i asked the lieutenant earlier today about how they would balance that. here is what he told us. >> i don't want to get

his funeral started a couple of hours ago in nearby monroe, connecticut.says noah sometimes batted his long eyelashes. he tried to get what he wanted with his eyelashes and he lit up everyone's heart. >> noah was extremely lively. he was really the light of the room, you know. he had a huge heart, and he was so much fun. a little bit rambunctious, lots of spirit. he loved playing with all of his cousins. he loved his twin the most of all, and always said he was, you know, they were best friends. >> noah's twin sister ariel attended sandy hook elementary school as well. but you see with her story, she was assigned to a different classroom than her brother. ariel escaped the shooting along with their 8-year-old sister, sophia. outside of noah's funeral, well wishers put two teddy bears, a bouquet of white flowers and a single red rose underneath an old maple tree. >>> police in connecticut are piecing together clues trying to find out why, why friday's shooting happened. a law enforcement official says smashed up computers were found and grabbed from the hom

monroe. in newtown, connecticut, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> and for the first time since the shooting the nra releases a statement. the group says its members are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. a news conference is scheduled for friday. >>> family members say the gunman, adam lanza, had battled mental health problems for most of his life. what can we do stop these mass killings? well, wjz has live complete coverage with adam may with more on calls to improve health care. >> reporter: experts say if we do not do more to improve access to mental health care, another school massacre is virtually guaranteed. it's been widely reported school shooter adam lanza suffered some kind of personality disorder. but it's still unclear if his family ever tried to get him help to prevent him from turning violent. >> do we want connecticut to happen again three times? four times? five times? ever again? never. >> reporter: linda kohler ask a mental health advocate in baltimore. her organization overwhelmed by requests for help every day. >> a mother wanted a teenager to go to a psychiatrist. they

monroe. in newtown, connecticut, randall pinkston, wjz eyewitness news. >> investigators say the gunman, 20-year-old adam lanza, had fired guns at shooting ranges during the past several years, but there was no evidence he did so recently as practice for the rampage. >>> well, of course everyone is asking what can we do to stop these mass killings. wjz's complete coverage continues. adam may with more on the calls to improve mental health care. adam. >> today's experts in that field say if we do not do more to improve mental health care in this country another school massacre is pretty much guaranteed. it's been widely reported school shooter adam lanza suffered some kind of personality disorder, but it's still unclear if his family ever tried to get him help to prevent him from turning violent. >> do we want connecticut to happen again? three times? four times? five times? ever again? never. >> reporter: linda kohler is a mental health advocate in baltimore. her organization nami overwhelmed by requests for help every day. >> a mother wanted a teenager to go to a psychiatrist. they could not get in

monroe. it remains to be seen if the elementary school will ever reopen. >> and 3,000 miles away from connecticut in gilroy tonight. about 70 people attended a vigil for the sandy hook victims. they came together at the south valley community church to pray, mourn, and heal. >> having an environment, a venue like this helps people process it. and then being able to give resources that kind of help people continue that journey. >> the names of all 26 victims were read and a candle was lit for each of them. we're getting a better idea who the sandy hook killer was. cbs reporter seth talked to a former classmate and a babysitter who says that adam lanza's mother gave him an odd warning about her son. >> what kind of kid was adam lanza as a classmate? >> just quiet. >> she remembers adam lanza from german class. >> on one side he did something unspeakable. while on the other that's not how i remember him. i remember him as a nice kid that i sat near in class. and we joked. he'd laugh. you know. that kind of thing. >> it was the spring of 2009 and the two were enrolled at western connecticut state uni

>>reporter: the owner told me the connecticut florist association has kicked into high gear to help hangout. in the city of monroe, a middle school is going to serve as a temporary home for sandy hook elementary when those kid go back to class. today, one moving truck after another brought in furniture and supplies from sandy hook. >> i think it's great for the kids. they need to go somewhere. this is close for him. >>reporter: this man lives across the street. his three days made a sign, welcoming them. >>reporter: back live, we're joined by a couple of sandy hook volunteer firefighters. you're all volunteers here? >> yes. >>reporter: obviously, you've been through hell and back. when you take a look at this memorial, what do you think? what does this say you to? >> this is a beautiful outpouring of love from around the world, the country. this whole memorial was started by a five department in texas. we have an annual christmas tree fundraiser. we sell christmas trees. they must have caught wind of it. i woman called up and wanted to buy two trees and have them put out as a symbol for kids to come decorate. >>r

monroe elementary. still everyone here knows they will never be the same. 20 friends, teammates, brothers and sisters will always be missing. jay gray, nbc news, newtown, connecticut. >>> now for a look at the weather including that winter storm making its way east, here is nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning. >>> good morning. this storm will cause a lot of headaches. schools will be canceled in some cases. airports will have cancellations, too. this map shows the areas that will be effected. the pink showing the winter storm warnings. now we have brand new busily saad wa blizzard warnings from ames to des moines and central wisconsin. you will be dealing with your first blizzard of the season. where are we dealing with the problems this morning? only in the mountainous areas of central and western colorado, also some of the higher terrain there in arizona and new mexico. the storm will begin in earnest and intensify and become a headache as we go throughout the day today. the blue shows the snow. this is this morning. as we go throughout the day today, it blossoms. just clips the colorado area. denver two to four inches. later this afternoon, driving hom

monroe say they could have their school ready for those sandy hook students in about a day. but it's still unclear when those students will return to class. reporting in newtown, connecticut, i'm daniel leigh, back to you. >> thank you. >>> it may be surprising to some, but in the wake of friday's devastating shooting rampage, gun retailers across the country are reporting a surge of gun sales due to fears of stricter gun control laws. haas night nancy pelosi called for just that. >> the voices of reason cannot be silent. through administrative action we must limit the proliferation of weapons and ammunitions that have no other purpose than to kill citizens. >> as the debate over gun control heats up, the newtown tragedy could be a new tipping point for some pro gun control lawmakers. >> reporter: the numbers are striking, 8,500 people die each year in gun violence. since columbine, nearly 14 years ago, more than 30 mass murders involving guns. the list is chilling. >> shame on nra. >> reporter: as protesters gathered outside offices in washington, the nra again declined to comment on the debate, but there were signs that the sandy hook massacre has impacted capitol hill.

they will be attending a school in nearby monroe the chalk hill school, which is being prepared for their arrival. >> okay. marlie hall live in connecticut, thank you. >>> the search for a motive behind the shootings is proving to be difficult. investigators hoped a computer and hard drive recovered at gunman adam lanza's home would shed some light on the reason for the massacre, but the 20- year-old deliberately smashed his electronic devices into so many small pieces the fbi lab is unable to retrieve anything from the hard drive. investigators will continue to search through lanza's cell phone and credit card records. >>> thoughts of the connecticut shooting victims still on the minds of people in the bay area, of course. yesterday evening families and educators in the pleasanton unified school district held a candlelight vigil. photos of the 26 victims were displayed on a tree at amaral park. pleasanton school officials say it's a sad reminder of the importance of their jobs. >> just always looking at procedures and practices and always thinking about what else we could do to improve. >> letters, pictures and donations from pleasanton

connecticut state trooper standing guard. this is the road that leads up to the elementary school. there was some talk earlier this week of getting the school in monroe ready for those kids to return to class sometime this week. but now we understand they will not return to classes until after they have had the holidays at home with their families. in sandy hook, laura anthony, abc news. >> that makes sense. >>> here in the bay area dozens of mourners came together in pleasanton for a vigil honoring the victims of sandy hook elementary. for one of the speakers the service was very personal. alan wang has this story from emerald park. >> it breaks my heart when i see this. this is the holidays. we should be celebrating life. >> they came shaken and confused. it is likely no one here was more shaken than anne fisher. she grew up with one of the mothers of the victim in newtown. >> i got a call at 5:30 that night and vicky did not make it. she was one of the teachers that was killed. >> across america vigils like this one are popping up for grief-stricken people who feel the need to be together and reach out to the victims. >> i am going to say thank yo

connecticut state trooper standing guard. this is the road that leads up to the elementary school. there was some talk earlier this week of getting the school in monroe for those kids to return to class sometime this week. but now we understand they will not return to classes until after they have had the holidays at home with their families. in sandy hook, laura anthony, abc news. >> that makes sense. >>> here in the bay area dozens of mourners came together in pleasanton for a vigil honoring the victims of sandy hook elementary. for one of the speakers the service was very personal. alan wang has this story from emerald park. >> it breaks my heart when i see this. this is the holidays. we should be celebrating life. >> they came shaken and confused. it is likely no one here was more shaken than anne fisher. she grew up with one of the mothers of the victi in newtown. >> i got a call at 5:30 that night and vicky did not make it. she was one of the teachers that was killed. >> across america vigils like this one are popping up for grief-stricken people who feel the need to be together and reach out to the victims. >> i am going to say thank you for d

monroe. that is where my colleague ashleigh took a look. >> reporter: while the kids in newtown, connecticut to school today, the kids from sandy hook will not be. that's because they're going to come here to the monroe middle school campus. look to the left. the chalk hill school, a school because of declining enrollment closed down and set to reopen as a community center but now monroe county has decided to avail its services to kids of sandy hook. look across the street at the sign that has shown up "welcome sandy hook elementary" heart warming to see that. here's how it's going to work. they're not going to be here today. we don't know exactly when they'll be here. look up there, there's a police officer who is blocking the entrance to the media. we want to be respectful. they're allowing teachers that are going into an adjacent middle school and people who are moving all of the contents from sandy hook elementary actually into chalk hill so when the children arrive here, the artwork from their elementary school will be on the walls there. their desks will be in place there. and there's e

connecticut standi trooper standing guard. this is the road that leads up to the elementary school. there was some talk earlier this week of getting the school in monroe for those kids to return to class sometime this week. but now we understand they will not return to classes until after they have had the holidays at home with their families. in sandy hook, laura anthony, abc news. >> that makes sense. >>> here in the bay area dozens of mourners came together in pleasanton for a vigil honoring the victims of sandy hook elementary. for one of the speakers the service was very personal. alan wang has this story from emerald park. >> it breaks my heart when i see this. this is the holidays. we should be celebrating life. >> they came shaken and confused. it is likely no one here was more shaken than anne fisher. she grew up with one of the mothers of the victim in ot a >> i got a call at 5:30 that night and vicky did not make it. she was one of the teachers that was killed. >> across america vigils like this one are popping up for grief-stricken people who feel the need to be together and reach out to the victims. >> i am going to say thank you for doin

monroe. today for the first time since the shooting there was no police briefing. still no official word on what may have triggered last week's brutal attack against unarmed children and their teachers. in newtown, connecticut, i'm randall pinkston, back to you derek. >> we thank you for that report. now investigators had hoped that lanza's computers would yield evidence of a possible motive but he reportedly smashed up the court's hard drive and they're not sure what if any information they can get from those. >>> the debate over gun control continues to pick up momentum in the wake of the newtown school tragedy. several pro gun rights lawmakers have come forward since the shooting to say it's now time to put gun control measures back on the table and the white house says it will push congress to reinstate a ban on assault weapons but many still say gun bans aren't the answer. >> they take away freedom for law-abiding folks and they don't take away the guns from those who end up being the eventual perpetrators. >> 40% of gun sales take place without a background check. no questions asked and felons, the dangerous mentally ill and domestic abusers can easily get guns. >> families of victims at virginia tech

connecticut. we'll continue to stay son top of this story -- stay on top of this story for you. >>> a neighboring town, monroe, seven miles away, offered up an unused school to the more than 400 sandy hook students. officials say the school will be head are -- school will be ready by wednesday but it's not clear when classes will resume for sandy hook students. they are not back at school today. as for the sandy hook school building, one police official says he doubts students will ever attend that school again. >>> 7:18. there are some signs of progress in the fiscal cliff debate. house speaker john boehner now willing to accept a tax hike on those people who make more than a million dollars a year. that's less than what president obama wants. he wants to raise the taxes on those who make $250,000 a year. boehner is angering some of those in his party who are against this. others say we need to support him. >> he's our speaker and leader. we're never gonna get the perfect deal. i'm confident john will get the best deal we can consistent with the principles. >> boehner offering to raise taxes includes cutting

monroe about 8 mi. away from new town. chalk hill has not used this school since june of 2011. >> we are learning more this morning about the shootings. connecticut'sl examiner says that nancy lanza was shot in the head four times what she was asleep. the gunmen at a glance the is believed to have shot himself in front of the head. relatives have denied that lanza attended sandy hooke but school administrators and other former classmates say that he did a tender. >> joe biden is on to head the task force and the president is going to announce this information at 11:45 a.m. our time. he stated that he would try to put a ban on assault style weapons. and he would like have school safety is reviewed. once we get this will bring it to you live. >> it is a 06 a.m.. justin time for a holiday thousands of groceries are being given away in san francisco. here are some of the people that are taking advantage of this. mike pelton how is it going out there? >> this is the hope of here. many of these people waited from 9:00 last night and day are getting their free groceries. the line is pretty long and you can see that this is the background of the shop we ar