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Teacher Hailed As A Hero After Quick Thinking During Shooting Saved Lives

Teacher Hailed As A Hero After Quick Thinking During Shooting Saved Lives

Shanthi Viswanathan instructed her students to get down on the floor and stay in the classroom when the fire alarm was set off

Paddy Maddison

Paddy Maddison

A quick-thinking teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is being hailed as a hero after locking her students in her classroom to protect them from armed assailant Nikolas Cruz.

On hearing the fire alarm ring, Shanthi Viswanathan knew something was wrong.

Instead of letting her Algebra students out of the classroom when the alarm went off, Viswanathan instructed them to get on the floor in the corner of the room.

Stoneman Douglas High School

She then placed paper over the window into the room to stop the gunman from noticing that there were people inside.

It's likely that her actions saved her students, said Dawn Jarboe, whose son Brian was in the class, adding: "She was quick on her feet. She used her knowledge. She saved a lot of kids."

Even a SWAT team sent in once the shooting had been stopped was unable to convince the protective teacher of opening up the door, as she thought it might have been a ploy by the gunman to gain access to the room.

Jarboe continued: "She said, 'Knock it down or open it with a key. I'm not opening the door.'"

In an old tribute, on the website Rate My teacher, she is described as a "wonderful teacher who allowed me to expand my learning platform."

It continued: "She taught me with an appreciation of math in the real world. She cares about students and often stays after school to help her students with review sessions.

"She never spends a day without teaching and always reassures every student understands the lesson. She wants every student to succeed and always tries the hardest to make sure we all do well."

Viswanathan isn't the only person being hailed as a hero in the wake of Wednesday's tragic events.

Witnesses told of how 15-year-old Peter Wang, who was part of the Royal Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, had selflessly held open the door to enable others to flee before himself.

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"He wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to grow old with me," cousin Aaron Chan told First Coast News.

"He is so funny, caring and selfless,'' added Lin Chen, Wang's 24-year-old cousin.

Chen, who flew in from Louisiana to be with the family, continued: "He is so brave. He is the person who is genuinely kind to everyone. He doesn't care about popularity. He always liked to cheer people up. He is like the big brother everyone wished they had.

"I feel the family can never be the same.''

Featured Image Credit: Stoneman Douglas High School

Topics: Florida, US News