One year later: Chardon community hopes to be remembered as strong, not sad

CHARDON, Ohio - On a day much like it one year ago, a cold breeze with snowflakes blew through the Chardon air. Wednesday, something was different -- a sense of calm, unity and reflection were all around.

Chardon Square was filled with the hustle and bustle of people doing what people do in small town America: meeting at the coffee shop, grabbing a pizza at the local Italian eatery or just standing on the street corner catching up with friends.

Then, everything stopped.

Hundreds of Chardon students and staff marched to the square's gazebo, quiet with the wind whispering through the trees.

As teens surrounded the gazebo, the faint hush of music began to play. Then, clapping and tributes to those lost and those still left to carry on.

We are Chardon. Always have been, always will be. But Wednesday, it's a new Chardon. The Chardon this community hopes to be remembered by -- not by the sadness that once was.