School officials organised the rally for Columbine's 1,900 students, four months after Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, shot dead 12 fellow students and a teacher on April 20 before killing themselves.

Most students and faculty members sported T-shirts that read: ``We are ... Columbine''. The students heard Principal Frank DeAngeli urging them to maintain ``a positive attitude''.

But some members of the community were angry at what they perceived as a slight to the dead, NBC reported on Monday. ``Having a pep rally with absolutely no mention (of the dead) was really like a slap in the face,'' Susan Partridge, one of the mothers of the victims, told the network. The American flag that had flown at half-staff since the shootings at the school was raised to full staff. Since the shooting, the school building has receiveda complete makeover in an effort to eradicate every trace of the massacre.

The massacre is likely to remain in the news, as civil litigation -- brought by the victims and their families against several parties, including the parents of the shooters -- is likely to drag on for years. A new poll finds 81 per cent of Americans believe poor parenting is largely responsible for a spate of recent mass shootings across the US, Newsweek magazine reported in its upcoming issue.