The death of a Brevard County teacher who was once a finalist for the county's Teacher of the Year is hitting her school hard as investigators released more details about her apparent slaying Tuesday.
Sandra Cook was found dead in her home of a gunshot wound Monday morning. The suspect, according to police, was her estranged husband, who also took his own life.
It was a somber day Tuesday on the Rockledge High School campus as students, faculty and staff all wore blue in honor of the math teacher.
A shrine has grown in the school's quad area. The base of a shade tree has filled with flowers, cards and notes, with a picture of the beloved teacher who lost her life as the centerpiece.
"She was just like a mom to everybody," said junior Dylan McGrath, who was studying math under Cook for the first time this year. In that brief period, she said the veteran teacher took time to help her whenever she could. So much so, McGrath had an "A" in math for the first time.
She and her classmates are still shocked their favorite teacher is gone.
"It's intense, especially if you look at the situation and who did it. It's frightening," McGrath said.
Melbourne Police say that on Sunday night, Ricky Cook broke into their Chapparal Drive home, shot and killed his wife, then turned the gun on himself. The couple was going through a divorce, and he had moved out a month ago, they said.
"We were scrambling to find out what was going on," Rockledge Principal Tony Hines said.
When Cook didn't show up for school Monday morning, they notified her sister, who went to check on Cook and made the gruesome discovery.
Hines said the school was still celebrating her being recognized as a Teacher of the Year finalist just three days before.
"She was our hero, our all star," Hines said.
Melbourne Police say there were no restraining orders between the couple. They had no children together, though Cook had three from a previous marriage.
"She will always have a place in my heart. She touched a lot of lives," McGrath said.