Annunciation Catholic School students return to classroom nearly 3 weeks after shooting
It was a major milestone for the Annunciation Catholic School community on Tuesday as students returned to the classroom for the first time since the tragic shooting.
The reunion occurred almost three weeks after the attack, which killed two children, 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel; more than 20 others were hurt, mostly children and three adults.
"What they've needed is time, space, privacy and connection," Jenny Britton, chief clinical officer at Washburn Center for Children, said. "The assignment today is to be together."
Britton said she and a team of up to 10 mental health professionals from Washburn arrived on-site earlier this month to help with the transition. They'll continue to provide support for the rest of the year as well.
"We're not providing intensive treatment. We're not providing therapy. We're here on site to support teachers, staff, parents and students in coming back together in a way that feels good for their community," she added. "Community, finding joy, hope — which all leads to building resilience."
Ahead of the reopening, school leaders expressed caution that students and teachers are on different timetables in processing their grief.
"As we continue to lift up Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, and to pray for Sophia Forchas and all our injured community members in their recovery, we recognize the natural interest in the timetable for the reopening of our school," school leaders wrote. "We recognize that, while we walk our path together, some members of our community walk at different paces and with different steps."
Officials said school activities this week will be "centered on support, connection, and play." There will also be a "visible security presence" on campus this week, and extra support staff on hand to help students and employees.
Gov. Tim Walz also released a statement over the weekend about the progress being made by Forchas, who is the only victim remaining in the hospital. Doctors upgraded her condition from critical to serious in the past week.
