Newtown School Shooting Anniversary Photos: Sandy Hook Elementary Pictures For Fourth Year Of Mourning

It’s been four years since a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 students and six educators before taking his own life. The town has planned a moment of silence to remember the victims and has asked all town employees to stop working between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. as a sign of respect. Gov. Dannel Malloy also requested that all flags remain at half-staff Wednesday.

"I am certain that many of you will join me in finding private space for personal reflection as the Newtown community continues to recover from an unconscionable act of violence," said Newtown School Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr.

Though the town does not usually have a designated memorial event, prayer services were planned for Wednesday.

"It never ceases to amaze me the ripple effects that we still feel," Jennifer Barahona, executive director of the Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation, told the Hartford Courant.

Since the shooting, 77 related charities have been registered at the Attorney General’s office and have raised more than $28 million. Much of that money has gone to in-school mental health services.

"We had someone who was really debilitated just come forward now who needs a lot of assistance," said Barahona. "There is no uniformity to grieving and people are all over the map when it comes to the help they need."

Sandy Hook Elementary School was demolished in 2014 and rebuilt two years later on the same site. The $50 million new school has advanced security measures including gates, deadbolt locks, impact resistant glass and surveillance cameras.

"I have respect beyond words for the personal bravery and strength of the survivors in Newtown – and for the tens of thousands of others who shoulder such pain and loss each day across our nation," said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on the anniversary in 2015. "We will never forget the loved ones lost, and I will never abandon this cause. We must honor with action today and every day."