Teacher victims of mass shooting recalled as dedicated to students

Dawn Hochsprung was known as the open and friendly face of Sandy Hook Elementary School, a 47-year-old principal pursuing a doctorate on weekends and quick with a smile.

Victoria Soto, 27, was a first-grade teacher, who liked to tell stories about her students. She lived in a pale blue house with her mother and three siblings. She shovelled snow from an ailing neighbour's walkway.

They were among the six adults killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Mandy Ives, 49, said Hochsprung was a welcoming presence and advocate for her son, Henry, nine, taking the time to chat with him about trains and puzzles when he attended the school earlier this year. He transferred before the shooting.

"I didn't even realise she was the principal," she said. "She was always sitting out in the front office."

During the attack, she confronted the gunman after he shot through glass to enter the building, said Mary Ann Jacob, an assistant librarian. The gunman then shot Hochsprung, she said.