Frank DeAngelis / “Mr. D” Character Analysis in Columbine

The principal of Columbine high school at the time of the shooting. A former coach, “Mr. D” was a loving, caring administrator and became a beacon of hope for many students in the wake of the attack. Frank was criticized in the aftermath of the shooting for having been blind to the issues of bullying that plagued Columbine, though his status as an outspoken, caring member of the Columbine community endured.

Frank DeAngelis / “Mr. D” Character Timeline in Columbine

The timeline below shows where the character Frank DeAngelis / “Mr. D” appears in Columbine. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Memory, Bearing Witness, Trauma, and Testimony Theme Icon

Frank DeAngelis , a former coach who is now principal of Columbine High School, addresses the two... (full context)

Frank, also known as “ Mr. D ,” then leads the students in a rousing chant: “We are… COL-um-BINE!” All two thousand... (full context)

Mr. D is on lunch duty—he loves the task, seeing it as a chance to really engage... (full context)

...make a move to kiss Susan, and she leaves around eleven. Prom is “standard,” and Mr. D is “relie[ved]” when the evening goes off without a hitch. The Columbine gym is outfitted... (full context)

On Monday afternoon , Frank DeAngelis and Dave Sanders enjoy a Columbine baseball game together. They discuss their lives, their shared... (full context)

...The bombs are timed to go off at 11:17. Cullen writes that the surveillance cameras Mr. D installed in the cafeteria should have caught the boys’ suspicious activity—however, this morning the custodian... (full context)

...his homework during the hour. Cassie Bernall is also in the library, studying during lunch. Mr. D is absent from the commons, about to take a meeting in which he is planning... (full context)

...prepare to head outside to play softball, the killers enter through the building’s west doors. Mr. D runs “straight into [Eric and Dylan’s] gunfire,” shepherding the girls into a storage closet within... (full context)

Mr. D opens the outside door to see a Jeffco sheriff pulling up, and quickly goes back... (full context)

Mr. D stays with the families, consoling them, even as he fears the rumors he hears about... (full context)

Religion: Escapism, Evangelism, Opportunism Theme Icon

Wednesday morning , Frank DeAngelis is “consumed with guilt”—his job is to provide a safe environment at Columbine, and he... (full context)

...their midst, she says. Another official gathering is organized at another nearby megachurch, and again Frank DeAngelis is called upon to speak. Counselors advise him that he is “the key” to letting... (full context)

Media: Misinformation and Sensationalism Theme Icon

...theory that bullying led to the Columbine massacre, though it was an issue at Columbine. Frank DeAngelis insisted he was “unaware” of this fact. His “unusual rapport with the kids created a... (full context)

Mr. D warns his students that the “new kids” at Columbine will “never understand” what they’ve been... (full context)

...strong by 7:30 a.m. Students are dressed in t-shirts that read “WE ARE COLUMBINE,” and Mr. D delivers a rousing address to the students before raising the flags from half-mast for the... (full context)

Frank DeAngelis plans to retire at the end of the 2002 school year, once the last class... (full context)

...paying homage to the victims and their “magnificent” families. Patrick Ireland marries his college sweetheart. Mr. D and Patrick’s doctors from Craig Hospital are in attendance. Patrick stands at the altar with... (full context)