A 16-year-old who was stabbed to death at Jonathan Law High School in Milford is being honored with a self-defense course.
The class, which is being offered to girls as young as 10 years old, is sponsored by the Maren Sanchez Home Foundation.
The class is taught by MMA champion Nick Newell at the Fighting Arts Academy in West Haven in honor of Sanchez, who died in 2014 when classmate Chris Plaskon stabbed her to death after police say he was angry she would not go to prom with him.
Sanchez’s mother, Donna Cimarelli-Sanchez, believes that her daughter would still be here if she had been offered a class like this. She says that through her grief in losing a child, she's realized her mission will be teaching other girls to stand up for themselves.
Among some of the class' attendees were Maren's friends, who made Sunday's class a sellout.