Indio teacher wounded in Las Vegas shooting returns to classroom
An Indio teacher who was injured in the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting is back at school Tuesday.
Desert Sands Unified School District superintendent Scott Bailey tweeted a photo with Alexis Arias Tuesday morning.
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Arias attended the Route 91 Harvest Festival on October 1 when a gunman opened fire on the crowd, killing 58. She was shot in the upper thigh, her pelvis was cracked and her husband applied pressure as Arias as they rushed for cover while bullets rained down from the Mandalay Bay Hotel.
Watch: KESQ / CBS Local 2’s Joe Galli speaks with a Sunrise Medical Center doctor about saving lives
She was rushed to Sunrise Medical Center, just a couple miles away from the shooting.
After three weeks away from her students, Arias finally found herself back inside her classroom.
“It was driving me crazy being at home away from my life. You know, these kids and this job is a big part of my life,” Arias said.
Arias’ coworkers are happy to have her back.
“She’s an exceptional teacher and one that is not allowing these events to define her as a person,” said David Gustafson, Principal of Amistad High School.
Arias says she drew strength from letters students sent her while she recovered and she doesn’t want the experience to impact the plans she had for her milestone 10th year of teaching.
“I struggle with, is this going to stop me. Is this going to postpone all the great ideas I had, you know? I hope not,” Arias said.
Arias says she chooses to use her insight from the experience into a message her students can learn from.
“The evil that was shown was there, but the beauty and the people that helped and the courage that so many people displayed that was shown more,” Arias said.
Arias says she has already been brainstorming about how she can turn this experience into a positive effect here on the campus. She says to stay tuned for 58 acts of kindness, one for every person who lost their lives that night in Las Vegas.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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