Former East Mountain resident Jocelyne Couture-Nowak victim in Virginia Tech tragedy

TRURO DAILY NEWS

TRURO - Sadness, shock and stunned silence. That's how people felt when they learned that a former colleague was murdered in Monday's shooting rampage at Virginia Tech.

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak's life was cut short by the massacre at the U.S. college. Jocelyne was formerly a resident of East Mountain.

"We are absolutely stunned. It's a tragedy to everybody who knew her ... to realize we will never see her again is devastating," said Debbie Connolly, student services co-ordinator at the Institute for Human Services Education.

Jocelyne taught French, programming and language development for a number of years at the institute. She had also taught French part time at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Bible Hill.

"We are saddened. It's a great loss to the education community as a whole. She was born to be an instructor," said Connolly.

Anna MacDonell, program director at the institute, received the news at work yesterday morning.

"We certainly did not expect this to hit so close to home.

She was so full of life," said MacDonell, between tears. She said Jocelyne went to Virginia with

her husband, Jerzy Nowak, to teach French.

"She was so concerned about guns there in Virginia. They were so prevalent there ... (and) she was anti-gun."

Dr. Bernie MacDonald, vice-president of administration at the NSAC, said the college learned of the shocking news yesterday after Jerzy notified the NSAC. Jerzy was a professor there for a number of years, and is now a professor at Virginia Tech.

"It's incomprehensible. There's still a feeling of disbelief," said MacDonald.

He said although examinations are continuing as scheduled at the college, counsellors are available. The flag has been lowered to half mast as well.

Couture-Nowak played a pivotal role in opening l'Ecole Acadienne de Truro, in September, 1997.

Three students from the NSAC are studying at the U.S. college as part of an exchange program. They were unharmed.



mchiasson@trurodaily.com