OVERTON, Texas — Investigations continue for the Uvalde mass shooting at Robb Elementary that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Here in East Texas one family continues to deal with the pain from across the state, having formally lived in Uvalde themselves. One Overton ISD teacher had a son born in Uvalde and called the city home for three and a half years.
"We just found a church there that was looking for a youth minister and went and interviewed and ended up there," said Vicki Graham, an OISD teacher.
Graham moved to Uvalde to get back into ministry and experience a different culture.
"We spent a lot of time with the children and youth in Uvalde," Graham said. "Because it was an older congregation, it was almost like our kids had extra grandparents there. Even though their grandparents weren't there, we had all these adopted people that just really took us in and took care of us."
She recalls the tight-knit community and remembers when she heard of the tragic news on May 24.
"My phone rang and my husband just said 'there's been a school shooting in Uvalde at Robb,'" Graham said. I just started crying and said 'you're not serious', and he said, 'yeah, and it's bad.'"
Over the summer many Texas schools have stepped up security with OISD being one of them.
Overton High School Principal Jeff Hogg said after the mass school shooting, the administration focused on security measures over the summer.
"We realized quickly the best thing and the quickest thing we can work on is the exterior security," Hogg said. "We have plans to add magnetic locks to them. Also our cameras, we have really good camera coverage. We’ve even bulked that up since the summer."
As an educator Graham has friends currently working at the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District. She has a few words to share with those teachers trying to continue giving UCISD students a better school year.
"We are still thinking about what they're going through. Thinking about what it must be like day in and day out," Graham said. "We're praying for you."
The Graham family is a prime example of the impact Uvalde has on many lives across the state.
Vicki Graham also mentioned that the day after the shooting her husband Kyle traveled and volunteered with their former ministry to aid the community.
Showing that the phrase “Uvalde Strong” has a deep meaning.