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Inside the demolished and rebuilt Sandy Hook Elementary School

The scene of the 2012 Newtown massacre is now a high-tech building that will open in the autumn.

Newtown Shooting New School The school was built with a $50 million grant from the state of Connecticut. Mark Lennihan Mark Lennihan

NEARLY FOUR YEARS after suffering one of the worst mass shootings in US history, an elementary school in Connecticut will re-open in a brand-new, high-tech building this autumn.

The old Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished in 2013 after a crazed gunman fatally shot 20 children and six educators in December 2012 in just five minutes before killing himself.

The new Sandy Hook School, which will feature heavy-duty windows and sophisticated video surveillance, was built with a $50 million grant from the state of Connecticut in the small leafy town of Newtown, two and a half hours by car northeast of New York City.

wochit News / YouTube

The school will open quietly in September after the summer holidays, although local media were taken on a guided tour today.

“Despite its birth from a horrible tragedy, Sandy Hook School will be a place full of laughter, love, and learning,” Newtown First Selectman Pat Llodra said.

Built on the old site, the new school has a completely different layout designed to make maximum use of the surrounding nature.

Newtown Shooting New School A classroom of the new Sandy Hook Elementary School. Mark Lennihan Mark Lennihan

“We’re asking everyone to give us the space we need to focus entirely on teaching and learning when we return for our first day of school,” Superintendent Joseph Erardi, the town’s top school official, said.

The new premises will be able to welcome 464 pupils and up to another 84 children in a half-day, pre-kindergarten program.

Newtown Shooting New School In the 2004 massacre, 20 children and six educators were gunned down. Mark Lennihan Mark Lennihan

The Sandy Hook massacre prompted President Barack Obama to launch an unsuccessful drive to tighten US gun laws, after which he assailed the Republican-controlled Congress for blocking reforms that would have toughened background checks on gun buyers.

© – AFP 2016

Read: Sandy Hook Elementary school evacuated after fake bomb threat >

Read: Police release Sandy Hook shooting documents and evidence photos >

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    Mute Colin Treacy
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:09 AM

    Well done on a fabulous month of prizes. Many more happy years to you all on the Journal.

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    Mute Declan Carr
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:09 AM

    They were all great prizes, well done .

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    Mute Dan Higgins
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:05 AM

    Liked and shared hun xoxo

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    Mute noodlez
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:39 AM

    WOW incredible prize it would be a fantastic way to start 2016

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    Mute catkins407
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    Oct 31st 2015, 9:49 AM

    Well I won natin! I like to think that it’s because I’m one of life’s great winners generally and don’t need fabulous prizes. This is my story and I’m sticking with it ok?

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    Mute Paul Dunne
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:40 AM

    was on royal Caribbean a couple of weeks ago fantastic stuff altogether.

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    Mute Kathleen Henderson
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:17 AM

    Take me on A Sunday Holidays Royal Carrabean Cruise….please

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    Mute Brianog2
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:53 AM

    Happy Halloween everybody.

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    Mute Shane Freeney
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:42 AM

    Oh yes please !

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    Mute The Viking
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:26 AM

    Now that would be nice.. !!!!!

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:20 AM

    for the grand finale I hope one of your regular commenters win ! x

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Oct 31st 2015, 9:06 AM

    ha ha , I was talking about all regular commenters !

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    Mute Jonathan McKee
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    Oct 31st 2015, 10:31 AM

    great prizes all month and what a way to finish :-)

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    Mute Kevin Halpin
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    Oct 31st 2015, 12:04 PM

    Never once twigged after entering a lot of these competitions that I was sending it to the wrong email address. Where’s that Delorean

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    Mute Little Diddy No
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    Oct 31st 2015, 12:09 PM

    Pick your time carefully if you win – extreme heatwaves hotter than ever in human history on this planet predicted for this area! http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/26/extreme-heatwaves-could-push-gulf-climate-beyond-human-endurance-study-shows

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    Mute Jack Mitchell
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    Oct 31st 2015, 12:36 PM

    Amazing price. Good luck too everyone

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    Mute Teresa O'Meara
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    Oct 31st 2015, 7:43 PM

    Entered everyday… I have a feeling I didn’t win anything cos they were waiting to give me this hum dinger of a prize at the end!!!! One can hope!!!!

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    Mute Little Diddy No
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    Oct 31st 2015, 12:07 PM

    Reminds me of this hysterical video of a New Zealand cruise ship caught in a massive storm! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj9gq6um3FE

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    Mute Anto Curran
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    Oct 31st 2015, 8:37 AM

    *awaits waddlers copy and paste about neo – liberal holiday destinations*

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    Mute Lily
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    Oct 31st 2015, 10:33 AM

    Considering I get really bad motion sickness this would be my worst nightmare, fitting for the day that’s in it.

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    Mute Sandra Turner
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    Oct 31st 2015, 11:14 AM

    Hope you win Hun x

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    Mute Lily
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    Oct 31st 2015, 7:24 PM

    Not in, can’t win. :)

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    Mute Liam Brophy
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    Oct 31st 2015, 10:16 AM

    deadly

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