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Minneapolis News
Elizabeth Shockman

Annunciation resumes preschool classes after mass shooting

Wide shot of the Annunciation Catholic Church exterior. Many flower bouquets are placed in front of a bronze statue.
A memorial of flowers and tributes surrounds the entrance to Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on Sept. 3. Nearly 20 children returned to preschool classes Monday at the church school.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News

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Nearly 20 children returned to their preschool classrooms on Monday at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis.

“It’s so important that we stay together, that we stay in this because right now, we’re doing really well at doing community, and we want to stay that way together despite the impossibility of our circumstances,” Matthew DeBoer, the Annunciation principal, said in a video posted online Monday night. 

Two children were killed and 21 people, most of them children, were injured on Aug. 27 when a person with multiple weapons shot students and adults as they worshipped at the start of the school year. Students tried to shield others and took cover under pews as bullets, shrapnel and glass flew around them. 

Over the weekend, one survivor of the shooting was released from the hospital and a funeral was held for 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in the attack. Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas remains hospitalized in critical condition at HCMC as of Friday afternoon

Leaders at Annunciation have not yet made public when they will resume classes for older students, but DeBoer said he had emailed families on Monday night his plans for next steps. 

The school has sought advice from trauma experts on how to reconvene for the academic year following the attack. DeBoer has said the return to learning will likely take place in stages. 

“Our commitment throughout this time is to make mission-driven and data-informed decisions every step of the way, one step at a time, together,” DeBoer said Monday. “Right now, we are showing the world what love in action looks like together.”

Correction (Sept. 9, 2025): A previous version of this story had incorrect information about the status of survivors in the hospital.