Mélanie Grapinet had always been a familiar name around town – not because of what happened, but before that, too.

For years, she had worked at the local beauty salon, offering haircuts and friendly chats, before charting out a new path as a school monitor at the local junior high. She loved her preschool-age son and was known for being the life of the party.

But in Nogent, a town of around 4,000, most residents clam up at the mention of her name today. Just a few months since 14-year-old Quentin G. killed Ms. Grapinet outside the local junior high in June, few are comfortable talking about what happened. Residents are just trying to move forward.

Why We Wrote This

Violence at schools, committed by students or former students, has been a growing problem in Europe over recent years. For

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