Saturday morning, NIU President John Peters took the stage in the Convocation Center to a standing ovation.

This past year, the NIU community has been focused on the theme “Forward, Together Forward.” This upcoming year, Peters is asking the same community to look into its character.

To honor the five students that were killed last year, five students from the school of Theatre and Dance performed, “A Legacy of Character.”

Weaving quotes from famous icons with quotes from those who knew the five victims and even from the victims themselves, the five students spoke about the character of life and the character of those who were killed.

After an interlude of ‘Clair De Lune,’ performed by HaeRim Yoo, the hour-long ceremony continued with another narrative, “Character in Action.” This performance focused on Feb. 14, 2008 and the days that followed.

The list of people and organizations who helped seemed endless as the five performers spoke of “the love and support” shown after the shooting.

The message of the commemoration was clear as each speaker resonated the same theme of character.

“A year ago in this very place, we vowed not to let an act of violence define us; and we have not,” Peters said.