Guns in schools arouse memory for victim’s family

Benjamin Grove

Friday, May 1, 1998 | 9:51 a.m.

David and Christy Piggott get chills when they hear another child brought a gun to school.

"It's difficult, you never really get over something like that," Christy Piggott said. "My children never got to know their grandfather."

Christy Piggott's father-in-law, Valley High School teacher Clarence Piggott Jr., was shot and killed March 19, 1982, by Patrick Lizotte, a troubled student the teacher took under his wing. Lizotte also wounded two other students before a police officer shot and wounded him.

Lizotte, one of Nevada's most notorious criminals, is now serving two life sentences at the Southern Nevada Correctional Center in Jean. In 1993, the school district opened Clarence A. Piggott Elementary School in honor of the popular psychology teacher.

Despite the recent spate of students bringing guns to Clark County schools, the Piggotts still cringe when they hear about another one.

"These things really bring it to the surface for us," Christy Piggott said.

The Piggotts now hold an annual Clarence Piggott Memorial Scholarship fund-raiser dinner and auction, an event that pulls in about $4,000 a year for scholarships for Valley and Rancho high school students. The dinner is 4 p.m. Saturday at the Promenades Country Club.

"We really pour ourselves into the fund-raiser," Christy Piggott said. "It's been a real positive outlet for us."

The Piggotts, like school officials, have been troubled by nine cases of students bringing guns to schools in recent weeks.

"They wouldn't let us out of school because they said two of the kids had a gun," third-grader Brandi Ehlers said. "I was kind of scared."

Brandi's mother said she was scared, too.

"All we used to have to train for was fire drills," Lisa Ehlers said. "It's horrible we have to train kids what to do if someone brings a gun to school."

Charline Villandry lives across the street from the school and used to substitute teach there.

"All of this makes me nervous," Villandry said. "What makes this generation so frustrated and angry? It makes me wonder what they are looking for."

Mailman Tony Semedo, who delivers mail to the school, said it didn't surprise him that neighborhood teens had guns, but he posed a familiar question: "Where did they get that gun from?"

Parent Todd Detjen watched his 5-year-old kindergarten daughter Lauren play outside the school before taking her to lunch Wednesday.

"You're always concerned for your children," he said. "I want to know why are they bringing guns to school and how can we change it?"

Christy Piggott wants to know, too. She is an elementary school psychologist. Her husband is a middle school science teacher. She said schools have gotten more dangerous since her father-in-law was killed.

"When this happened to him, it was an unheard of kind of thing," Piggott said. "Now it's really scary out there."