MUNCIE, Ind. -- When two young males went on a shooting spree at a Jonesboro, Ark., middle school on March 24, it signaled the end of innocence for many teens, relatives and the entire community, says a crisis counselor at Ball State University.

"Those children who witnessed the shooting need a lot of help right now," said Robert Hayes, a counseling psychology professor. "They need the total support of their community, relatives and friends."

For several years Hayes has volunteered with the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Services program. He assisted in the aftermath of plane crashes, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing.

The 60-year-old professor believes that the entire Jonesboro community will be touched by the nightmare for years to come.

"For the kids and teachers involved, there will be constant reminders of what happened," Hayes said. "They'll suffer horrible nightmares. Some will be scared to go to school. Others will be afraid of loud noises, which may set off flashbacks.

"Every year there will be newspaper and television stories about the anniversary of the shootings, bringing back old memories," he said. "Family members and those who have lost someone will suffer at every holiday, birthday and vacation. Each time will cause additional grieving. It is going to be a long process."

Hayes believes that parents, teachers and community officials must closely watch youngsters who suffered through the crisis. Many could suffer emotional problems years down the road.

Many children in middle school are unable to express their feelings. Many adolescents feel they are are too old to cry and maybe too young to verbally communicate their emotions. Instead, some will keep their emotions inside until a later time, he said.

In the coming weeks, Hayes fears the sudden national attention will cause a backlash among Jonesboro residents.

"Like all crisis situations, the media attention doesn't last long," he said. "First you have all the television crews in town and you see your community on the news for several days. Then, they just leave to go to the next major news story.

"People at that point feel very alone. People down there will feel that they are more important than that and feel that everyone has forgotten them."