Victoria Leigh Soto: Difference between revisions
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'''Victoria Leigh Soto''' (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was murdered in the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]]. After the gunman entered the school, Soto hid her students; when the students later ran from their hiding places, she reportedly died trying to shield them with her body.<ref name="chron">{{cite web|first1=CTPost com|last1=staff|accessdate=2021-06-20|title=Teacher died fighting for her students|url=https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/nation/article/Teacher-died-fighting-for-her-students-4121117.php|date=15 December 2012|website=Chron}}</ref><ref name="VS" /> She has since been hailed as a hero.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pearce|first1=Matt|title=Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto is given a hero's farewell|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/19/nation/la-na-nn-sandy-hook-teacher-victoria-soto-hero-20121219|access-date=December 27, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Light amidst the darkness': Heroic teacher Victoria Soto remembered|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/19/16001132-light-amidst-the-darkness-heroic-teacher-victoria-soto-remembered|access-date=December 27, 2015|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=December 19, 2012}}</ref><ref name="VS">{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/victoria-soto-newtown-tea_n_2311762.html |title=Victoria Soto, Newtown Teacher, Emerges As Hero After Shooting | publisher=Huffingtonpost.com | date=December 16, 2012 |access-date=December 21, 2012 | first=Roque | last=Planas |quote=Her mother, Donna, was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital for 30 years and her father, Carlos, worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator.}}</ref> She is a posthumous recipient of the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]]. |
'''Victoria Leigh Soto''' (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was murdered in the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]]. After the gunman entered the school, Soto hid her students; when the students later ran from their hiding places, she reportedly died at [[27 club|aged 27]] trying to shield them with her body.<ref name="chron">{{cite web|first1=CTPost com|last1=staff|accessdate=2021-06-20|title=Teacher died fighting for her students|url=https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/nation/article/Teacher-died-fighting-for-her-students-4121117.php|date=15 December 2012|website=Chron}}</ref><ref name="VS" /> She has since been hailed as a hero.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Pearce|first1=Matt|title=Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto is given a hero's farewell|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/19/nation/la-na-nn-sandy-hook-teacher-victoria-soto-hero-20121219|access-date=December 27, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='Light amidst the darkness': Heroic teacher Victoria Soto remembered|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/19/16001132-light-amidst-the-darkness-heroic-teacher-victoria-soto-remembered|access-date=December 27, 2015|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=December 19, 2012}}</ref><ref name="VS">{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/victoria-soto-newtown-tea_n_2311762.html |title=Victoria Soto, Newtown Teacher, Emerges As Hero After Shooting | publisher=Huffingtonpost.com | date=December 16, 2012 |access-date=December 21, 2012 | first=Roque | last=Planas |quote=Her mother, Donna, was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital for 30 years and her father, Carlos, worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator.}}</ref> She is a posthumous recipient of the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]]. |
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Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto |author=Vignesh Ramachandran |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16508448-connecticut-school-named-for-slain-newtown-teacher-victoria-soto |newspaper=nbcnews.com |date=January 14, 2013 |access-date=January 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Pujol|first1=Rolando|title=Petition seeks to rename street after Newtown hero teacher Victoria Soto|url=http://pix11.com/2013/01/03/petition-seeks-to-rename-street-after-newtown-hero-teacher-victoria-soto/|access-date=December 27, 2015|publisher=[[WPIX]]|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|last=Lambeck|first=Linda Conner|title=Petition asks for a street named for Victoria Soto, a teacher slain at Sandy Hook|url=http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Petition-asks-for-a-street-named-for-Victoria-4146133.php|access-date=January 7, 2013|newspaper=greenwichtime.com|date=December 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://www.stratfordstar.com/victoria-leigh-soto-memorial-endowed-scholarship-fund/ ''Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.''] Retrieved January 11, 2013.</ref><ref name="EA">{{cite web|url=http://www.easternct.edu/advancement/victoria_soto.html |title=Eastern Connecticut's Liberal Arts University "THE VICTORIA LEIGH SOTO MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND" |publisher=Easternct.edu |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref> The [[Stratford town council|Stratford Town Council]] unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto and the city of [[Bayamón, Puerto Rico]], birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.<ref name="vocero1">{{cite news|url=http://www.vocero.com/piden-honrar-a-maestra-asesinada-en-escuela/ |title=Piden honrar a maestra asesinada en escuela – Vocero de Puerto Rico |publisher=[[El Vocero]] |access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref> |
Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto |author=Vignesh Ramachandran |url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16508448-connecticut-school-named-for-slain-newtown-teacher-victoria-soto |newspaper=nbcnews.com |date=January 14, 2013 |access-date=January 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Pujol|first1=Rolando|title=Petition seeks to rename street after Newtown hero teacher Victoria Soto|url=http://pix11.com/2013/01/03/petition-seeks-to-rename-street-after-newtown-hero-teacher-victoria-soto/|access-date=December 27, 2015|publisher=[[WPIX]]|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|last=Lambeck|first=Linda Conner|title=Petition asks for a street named for Victoria Soto, a teacher slain at Sandy Hook|url=http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Petition-asks-for-a-street-named-for-Victoria-4146133.php|access-date=January 7, 2013|newspaper=greenwichtime.com|date=December 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://www.stratfordstar.com/victoria-leigh-soto-memorial-endowed-scholarship-fund/ ''Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund.''] Retrieved January 11, 2013.</ref><ref name="EA">{{cite web|url=http://www.easternct.edu/advancement/victoria_soto.html |title=Eastern Connecticut's Liberal Arts University "THE VICTORIA LEIGH SOTO MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND" |publisher=Easternct.edu |date=December 14, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref> The [[Stratford town council|Stratford Town Council]] unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto and the city of [[Bayamón, Puerto Rico]], birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.<ref name="vocero1">{{cite news|url=http://www.vocero.com/piden-honrar-a-maestra-asesinada-en-escuela/ |title=Piden honrar a maestra asesinada en escuela – Vocero de Puerto Rico |publisher=[[El Vocero]] |access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref> |
Revision as of 00:54, 5 September 2021
Victoria Leigh Soto | |
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![]() Soto in March 2012 | |
Born | Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. | November 4, 1985
Died | December 14, 2012 (aged 27) Newtown, Connecticut, U.S. |
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Resting place | Union Cemetery Stratford Fairfield County, Connecticut, U.S. |
Monuments | Victoria Soto Elementary School |
Nationality | American |
Education | |
Occupation | Teacher |
Years active | 2010–2012 |
Awards | Presidential Citizen's Medal (2013; awarded posthumously) |
Victoria Leigh Soto (November 4, 1985 – December 14, 2012) was an American teacher who was murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. After the gunman entered the school, Soto hid her students; when the students later ran from their hiding places, she reportedly died at aged 27 trying to shield them with her body.[1][2] She has since been hailed as a hero.[3][4][2] She is a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Plans and petitions to honor her by name via scholarships, roads, and schools were announced in late 2012 and 2013.[5][6][7][8][9] The Stratford Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to name a school after Soto and the city of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, birthplace of Soto's father, is planning to name a public facility after her.[10]
Biography
Soto was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Carlos Soto, a native of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and Donna Fagan-Soto, of Irish-American descent.[11] Her father worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator and her mother was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital.[2] Her family moved to Stratford, Connecticut, and she graduated from Stratford High School in 2003. In 2008, she earned bachelor's degrees in both education and history at Eastern Connecticut State University. She then enrolled in graduate school at Southern Connecticut State University.[12]
Death
On December 14, 2012, Soto was teaching her first grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School, when Adam Lanza made his way into the school, and began to shoot staff and students. After killing fourteen students and two teachers in the first classroom, Lanza entered Soto's classroom. Media reports state that Soto had hidden several children in a closet, and when Lanza entered her classroom, Soto told him that the children were not there and that they were in the school gym. When several children ran from their hiding places, Lanza began shooting at the students. Soto was reportedly shot trying to shield them with her body.[1][2][13] A photograph of Soto's sister awaiting news of her sister on her cell phone was taken by Associated Press photographer Jessica Hill and widely reproduced across the globe. Some news outlets labeled the photograph "iconic" and said that it has come to symbolize the tragedy.[14][15]
Funeral
A memorial service was held on December 15, and funeral services took place on December 19 at the Lordship Community Church.[2] American musician and songwriter Paul Simon performed at the funeral services and sang "The Sound of Silence".[16] On December 20, she was interred at Union Cemetery Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut. The Connecticut State Police honor guard saluted Soto's hearse en route.[17]
Legacy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Presidential_Citizens_Medal.png/125px-Presidential_Citizens_Medal.png)
In December 2012, Eastern Connecticut State University announced the creation of the Victoria Leigh Soto Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund, awarded to students who aspire to become teachers.[18] In December 2012, residents started a petition to rename North Parade in Stratford, Connecticut, to "Victoria Soto Way."[7] On December 17, 2012, the Stratford High School Class of 2003 established the "Victoria L. Soto Memorial Fund" in her honor. The fund will use the donations made to help pay for the funeral services and for the creation of a memorial at Stratford High School and a scholarship fund in the name of Soto, a former classmate who belonged to the Class of 2003.[19]
On January 14, 2013, the mayor of Stratford proposed the naming of a local school as the Victoria Soto Elementary School, with construction starting in 2013.[20] The mayor's proposal was unanimously approved by the Stratford Town Council.[21][22] The mayor also stated that a fund will be set up to accept donations from those who want to contribute to a memorial, which may include a statue of Soto.[22]
In 2013, the Victoria Soto ACERO High School, located at W 51st Street, opened in Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by Wight & Co. The Victoria Soto ACERO High School is a public, charter school with grades ranging from kindergarten to the 12th grade.[23][24]
The City of Bayamón, Puerto Rico is planning to name a public facility after Soto,[10] whose paternal family was originally from Puerto Rico's second-most populous city.[25]
On February 15, 2013, Soto and the other five adult teachers and administrators, who were killed, were posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.[26][27] The medal honors Americans who have performed "exemplary deeds of service" for their country or fellow citizens. The medal is commonly recognized as the government's second-highest civilian award and was presented to the families of the victims by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony.[28][29]
The Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters organization created the "Victoria Soto Volunteer Award" in honor of Soto, who was a former Nutmeg mentor. On April 25, 2013, Ana Robles, a Nutmeg mentor, became the first recipient of the award.[30] In June 2013, a playground in Long Brook Park in Stratford was named the "Victoria Soto Memorial Playground" in her honor.[31]
In 2015, the Victoria Soto School was inaugurated and opened, with a ribbon cutting ceremony, in Stratford, where she attended high school. The school, which was named in her honor, served students from pre-kindergarten through second grade.[32]
See also
- List of Irish Americans
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of Puerto Rican Presidential Citizens Medal recipients
References
- ^ a b staff, CTPost com (December 15, 2012). "Teacher died fighting for her students". Chron. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Planas, Roque (December 16, 2012). "Victoria Soto, Newtown Teacher, Emerges As Hero After Shooting". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
Her mother, Donna, was a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital for 30 years and her father, Carlos, worked for the Connecticut Department of Transportation as a crane operator.
- ^ Pearce, Matt (December 19, 2012). "Sandy Hook teacher Victoria Soto is given a hero's farewell". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ "'Light amidst the darkness': Heroic teacher Victoria Soto remembered". NBC News. December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Vignesh Ramachandran (January 14, 2013). "Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto". nbcnews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Pujol, Rolando (January 3, 2013). "Petition seeks to rename street after Newtown hero teacher Victoria Soto". WPIX. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ a b Lambeck, Linda Conner (December 26, 2012). "Petition asks for a street named for Victoria Soto, a teacher slain at Sandy Hook". greenwichtime.com. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Victoria Leigh Soto Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Eastern Connecticut's Liberal Arts University "THE VICTORIA LEIGH SOTO MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND"". Easternct.edu. December 14, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ a b "Piden honrar a maestra asesinada en escuela – Vocero de Puerto Rico". El Vocero. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ Delgado, José A. (December 18, 2012). "Cita con los ángeles de Newtown (Date with the Angels of Newtown)" (in Spanish). El Nuevo Dia. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Victoria Leigh Soto (Obituary)". Newtown Bee. December 18, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ Llanos, Miguel (December 14, 2012). "Authorities ID gunman who killed 27 in elementary school massacre". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ El Nasser, Haya (December 16, 2012). "Woman in iconic photo is sister of slain teacher". USA Today. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Roberts, Christine (December 18, 2012). "Iconic photo of woman's anguish before learning her sister died in the Newtown massacre is a reminder that 'kills,' Carlee Soto says". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ Barry Paddock; Chelsia Rose Marcius; Corky Siemaszko (December 19, 2012). "Paul Simon sings at funeral of Sandy Hook heroine teacher Victoria Leigh Soto as Newtown lays to rest another hero school staffer and four slain students". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
- ^ Ocasio, Keila (December 19, 2012). "'Sound of Silence' lays hero teacher to rest". CTpost.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Eastern Announces Victoria Leigh Soto Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ "Vicki Soto's Graduating Class Establishes Fund for Fallen Hero Teacher".
- ^ "Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto - U.S. News". Usnews.nbcnews.com. October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ "Victoria Soto Namesake School: Connecticut School To Be Named For Hero Sandy Hook Teacher". Huffington Post. January 14, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ a b "Connecticut mayor proposes naming school after newtown massacre victim". Foxnews.com. October 1, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ Soto ACERO schools
- ^ Lee Bey, Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago's South Side (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 2019), p. 78, photo on p. 81.
- ^ "Puerto Rico: Islands, Major Cities & Towns - Statistics & Maps on City Population". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ "Obama honors slain Newtown teachers". Connecticut.news12.com. February 15, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
- ^ Matt Compton (February 15, 2013). "President Obama Presents the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2013 – via National Archives.
- ^ "Sandy Hook teachers to receive Presidential medals for heroism". NBC Latino. Associated Press. February 5, 2013.
- ^ Michael Melia (February 5, 2013). "Newtown Educators Slain In Shooting To Be Honored With Presidential Medals By White House". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ says, WebVIRG::View Blog. "Latina 'Big Sister' to Receive Victoria Soto Volunteer Award - ctlatinonews.com".
- ^ "See the Good in a Sea of Bad". June 24, 2013.
- ^ "Victoria Soto School Opens in Stratford".
External links
- 1985 births
- 2012 deaths
- American murder victims
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Puerto Rican descent
- Schoolteachers from Connecticut
- 21st-century American women educators
- People from Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Presidential Citizens Medal recipients
- Burials in Connecticut
- Southern Connecticut State University alumni
- Eastern Connecticut State University alumni
- Deaths by firearm in Connecticut
- People from Stratford, Connecticut
- People murdered in Connecticut
- 21st-century American educators
- Assassinated people
- Assassinated educators