{"id":183168,"date":"2014-10-28T04:00:14","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T18:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=183168"},"modified":"2014-10-28T04:00:14","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T18:00:14","slug":"ex-kagman-high-teacher-hailed-hero-wake-wa-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/ex-kagman-high-teacher-hailed-hero-wake-wa-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Kagman High teacher hailed a hero in wake of WA shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Various media outlets in the U.S. mainland are reporting that former Kagman High School teacher Megan Silberberger played a crucial role in stopping a student who went on a shooting rampage that killed three others in Marysville-Pilchuck High School last Friday in Washington.<\/p>\n

\"In
In this file photo, the CNMI\u2019s Megan Silberberger gets away from two Macau defenders during the Preliminary Round 1 of the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup held in August this year at the Guam Training Centre in Harmon. (GUAM FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CNN quoted Marysville Education Association president Randy Davis as saying that Silberberger confronted freshman Jaylen Fryberg and stopped him from killing or injuring others. Fryberg, 15, later died from the same Beretta .40-caliber handgun he used to shoot students at the school.<\/p>\n

One student, Erick Cervantes, confirmed Silberberger\u2019s heroic deed to CNN affiliate KIRO.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just grabbed his arm,\u201d said Cervantes. \u201cShe\u2019s the one that intercepted him with the gun. He tried either reloading or tried aiming at her\u2026I believe she\u2019s actually the real hero.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silberberger taught at Kagman High School from 2011 to 2013 and school secretary Kim Camacho said they are proud of Silberberger\u2019s actions during last week\u2019s shooting rampage.<\/p>\n

Camacho remembers Silberberger as a proactive teacher who was loved by her students and respected by her peers.<\/p>\n

She said Silberberger always took lockdown drills at Kagman High seriously and that\u2019s probably why she acted the way she did during last week\u2019s tragedy \u201cas her instincts just kicked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like other public schools in the CNMI, Kagman High holds lockdown drills thrice every quarter, Camacho said.<\/p>\n

Silberberger is also part of CNMI Women\u2019s National Football Team and one of her teammates, Patricia Coleman, said what Silberberger did last week in Marysville-Pilchuck High School is pure Megan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not surprised that she would take action in a dangerous situation. She\u2019s just that type of person. Megan was a teammate who knew how to encourage others. She also was a volunteer coach for Paire Football Club U15 girls and always went the extra mile to make sure that the girls she coached made it to practice and games. She definitely has a \u2018can-do\u2019 attitude,\u201d Coleman said in an email to Saipan Tribune. <\/p>\n

Tennis coach Jeff Race, whose daughter Gabrielle is also Silberberger\u2019s teammate in the women\u2019s national soccer team, said Silberberger was always a tough girl not only in the pitch but also outside of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s that kind of person. I\u2019m not surprised at all that she would jump in to do something like that. She\u2019s a real action-oriented person,\u201d said Race.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s nationals manager Angie Ito learned about Silberberger\u2019s heroic act after watching the news yesterday morning. She said she\u2019s still in shock to find out that Silberberger put her life in harm\u2019s way to prevent more senseless killing.<\/p>\n

Her assistant coach in the national team, Jersh Angeles, said despite her diminutive size (5\u20194\u201d and about 115 lbs), Silberberger was always fearless in the pitch, throwing herself headlong against taller and heftier opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re both happy and proud of her heroic deed and look forward to having her play again for the CNMI,\u201d said Angeles.<\/p>\n

After reportedly being traumatized by last week\u2019s incident, Silberberger\u2019s friends and co-workers on Saipan expressed their sympathies for Silberberger and prayed for her quick recovery. They also offered condolences to the families of the two who died during the rampage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are praying for her and we are here for her in any way that she needs us to be. We love her and know that she will find the strength to work through the tragic event that recently took place,\u201d said Coleman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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