By Nikki Burkhamer

As a West Liberty-Salem alum and now a Bellefontaine High School teacher, the tragic event of January 20, 2017, was and still is devastating to me.

I recall having a bewildering feeling for weeks after that day. It was as if family had been attacked that morning.

Though my children were inside Benjamin Logan school buildings, the impact of the bullets went far beyond the WL-S campus. The entire area felt the numbing pain that a school shooting was a reality for those we knew and loved. For weeks and months, our hearts ached, worried and hovered in fear.

But healing… the slow redemption of healing began with the strong and mighty victim of the shooting – Logan Cole.

We can easily recall the young man, wounded and bleeding on the floor, trying to talk the shooter out of hurting others, and how the savior of the day was the formidable Middle School Principal, Andy McGill.

He went toward the danger and tackled the shooter away from his weapons. Two were hit by those bullets, but many were blindsided by the actuality of the circumstances.

I will never forget my teaching mentor, Gina Buroker, who was separated from her phone on that day, saying, “Nikki, always keep your phone on you,” and I do.

Now about 9 ½ years later on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, the community was filled with the hope that came from that tragedy with the dedication of the Tiger Strong Fieldhouse.

It's a shining example of how a once downtrodden school community has risen above the ashes of that tragic day and turned what was meant for violence into a gorgeous building to be used for future Tiger generations, their families and the surrounding community.

Thankfully, Logan Cole has physically healed and is now a happily married man and a proud father to a beautiful little girl. Standing before a crowd of supporters Sept. 4, Cole was given the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

"It was really special," he said. "What we knew from day one was the resilience of this community and just how much everybody cares."

As he reflected on the nearly 10 years that brought the project to completion, Cole said what stood out most was the countless hours volunteered by people who simply wanted something positive to come from a difficult chapter in the community's history.

"There were so many hours of people’s time given, but they didn't get paid for anything," he said. "They gave their time because they love our community, and they wanted to see better for it. It’s been really cool to see all of that come to fruition."

When asked about being viewed as a symbol of hope, Cole grew emotional.

"My faith in God saved us that day," he said. "Through that, I was able to find hope through my faith, through my community, and through my family. I certainly couldn't have done it on my own. A lot of that resilience came from the people who rallied behind me. If it wasn't for that, I don’t know what I would have done."

Even now, he said strangers still approach him to share that they prayed for him during his recovery.

"It brings tears to my eyes every time," Cole said. "Here we are a decade later, and it's still so meaningful to me."