Columbia Heights school welcomes back nearly 200 students who pivoted to virtual learning during ICE surge

It's been months since students at Columbia Academy were all in school together. Many stayed home with their families, fearful of the ICE surge in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. 

Tuesday morning, educators rolled out the gold carpet for nearly 200 students returning from virtual learning.  

Students flooded in, walking the gold carpet and under a balloon arch of school colors. The sights and sounds of a full Columbia Academy filled the hallway.

"It's like the first day of school all over again," principal Leslee Sherk said.

Attendance dropped during Operation Metro Surge while fears rose. Empty desks became more common and virtual learning took hold for hundreds.

"It's kind of surreal, more emotional than I expected," one teacher said.

Students are back, and their smiles say it all.

"I am very happy because me no stay in my house. I am very, very happy," student Jhosabeth Guaman said.

Finally, full classrooms, a chance to reconnect while acknowledging where they've been.

"It's really exciting for everyone to be back and safe," student Elias Deleon Smart said.

"I feel happy because I'm coming back and I see my friends," Tadeo Conejo Ramos said.

Educators say they wanted to go big with students returning, so they know school isn't the same without them.

"We wanted to be sure they knew their absence was felt. That they're valued, they're important," Sherk said.

WCCO was told there were only a few absences, with more than 90% of students returning to class.