Karen Dryer‘s worst nightmare started to unravel when her  young son Logan Dryer, 5, became so anxiety ridden when he went to kindergarten at Sandy Hook Elementary School that she decided to pull him out of school just two weeks before the deadly massacre.

Like any parent, Karen could not understand why her usually happy, healthy son Logan all of a sudden started having panic attacks while in school. Little did she know, that like her own late mother, her son had the gift to foresee the future.

Nancy tells HollyBaby.com exclusively, “Logan started kindergarten in September 2012. He was perfectly fine in September and October, and then in November he started acting strange. I got an email from his teacher saying he was a little weepy and then I started getting phone calls that Logan was crying and wanted to go home. Eventually it got so bad that I took him to the doctor who ran tests, saying that Logan was perfectly healthy.”

“I remember the principal, Dawn Hochsprung, getting on her knees and saying to Logan, ‘We love you and this is a wonderful place.’ Logan screamed back saying, ‘No, no! It’s not a safe place. I am scared.’ Logan’s doctor suggested that we take him out of school for a couple of weeks and home school him. So we had a tutor come in once a day for an hour and we would visit the school once a week so he could see his friends and teachers. But whenever we visited the school, he would start shaking and trembling. He would cry and he wouldn’t open his eyes,” said Karen.

The principal and the school psychologist Mary Sherlock, 56, who spoke to Logan on the phone daily while he was being home schooled, were both among the first killed in the shootings.

“Logan was perfectly normal wherever we were except at school,” Karen explained. “We couldn’t even say the word ‘school’ in the house because he would get so upset. I would cry because I couldn’t understand what was wrong with my son. I just wanted him to be normal. My teenage daughter went to Sandy Hook and she loved it. So we have a long history there. I would get so frustrated, but I know my son and I had to listen to what he saying. I was not going to give him medication. I just had to be with him and trust that everything happens for a reason.”

“We live down the street from the school and had just been there two days before the shooting. I remember getting a text that said there had been an incident and the local schools would be on shut down. Then I went on the Internet and read that there had been a shooting at Sandy Hook. I don’t know why but I grabbed my son and ran down to the school. I wanted to help. I felt so fortunate because I was one of the lucky parents holding their child.”

“My mother, Milly, who passed away a couple of months ago was very psychic, and I know now without a doubt that my son has the same gift.”

“Today (Jan.2) when we went to the open house, Logan was back to normal. He said he loved the new school, ‘I love it, it looks like a college.’ The teachers were amazed at what they saw because he used to be so scared of school. Now he was running around the school like he owned it. He danced for the teachers. He told me that Grandma was with him at the school and helping him play and that she was also helping me. His doctor is completely dumbfounded. I am blessed that I listened to him.”

Karen intends on taking Logan for his first day back to school tomorrow Jan. 3. She plans on volunteering at the school for the next couple weeks. We wish them both a beautiful day back at school. And of course all of the other families and teachers.

Reporting by Sandra Clark

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School officially begins tomorrow, Jan. 3, but Sandy Hook Elementary School families and teachers joined together at their new school location in nearby Monroe, Conn.,  where they shared tears of sorrow and tears of joy.

Sandy Hook Elementary School mom Karen Dryer tells HollyBaby.com exclusively, “It is an absolute miracle that we have a new school and another miracle that we have our old principal back. It has been such a blessing. The school that we moved into had been vacant and we got a call from the First Selectman who said, ‘We have an empty school for you!’ “

Karen’s 5-year-old son Logan Dryer, who is in kindergarten, loved the new school and told his mom, “I love it. It looks like college.” The former Chalk Hill Middle School is larger than the old campus and has two floors.

Karen says, “The school is looking wonderful. The teachers are super strong and optimistic. The teachers are saints.  The kids are so resilient. We could learn from them. My son is doing really, really well.”

“The school is only 8 miles away from Sandy Hook. Originally the teachers and students were going to be split up but the teachers came together and said ‘No, way! We need each other right now.’ The community understood this. From the first day we found out we had a new school, everyone started volunteering their time to fix up school. Since it was originally a middle school, the toilets had to be lowered, the sinks had to be lowered. Everyone in the community came together and helped.”

Newtown Community Comes Together To Prepare New School Building

“They managed to get the original art work from the cafeteria and bring it into the new cafeteria. They moved their beloved pet turtle that has been at Sandy Hook for years into the new library. It may not seem like a big deal, but for those kids to be able to walk into their new library and see their old librarian and Shelly, the school turtle, was just such a blessing,” said Karen.

“When I heard that Sandy Hook’s former principal Donna Page was coming out of retirement to return as the principle, I broke down in tears. It brought so much comfort to all the families and teachers. We didn’t know who could do this job. She called all the parents and re-introduced herself. Donna is going to lead the school forward. She retired about two years ago and just felt it was her calling to come back and support the families.”

The school’s former principal, Dawn Hochsprung, was among the first victims of  the Dec. 14 shooting spree that left 20 children and six school staffers dead.

We are sending all of the families, students and teachers of Sandy Hook our warmest wishes for a joyful first day of school and all the days after. What do YOU think, HollyMoms? Aren’t these students, parents and teachers so courageous?

–Sandra Clark

More Sandy Hook news

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2. President Obama Promises Sandy Hook: I’ll Change Gun Control Laws
   
3. Newtown Community Overwhelmed With Donations After Tragedy