Emotional return to class for Dawson College students
It was an intense and emotional returnfor students at Dawson College on Tuesday morning asclasses resumed for the first time since the Sept. 13 shootings that left a woman dead and 19 others injured.
As they came back to the school, some students predicted that itwould take time before theyare ready to learn and work again.
Stacks of flowers and cards still lined the college's back entrance, and inside the main doors a large book of condolences stood open for students and staff to share their thoughts.
The walls arepatched up and repainted, and no bullet holes were visible, but many students said it will bedifficult to forget what happened there just six days ago.
One young student, who entered the school just before 9 a.m., collapsed and fainted after she was apparently overcome with emotion. She was taken to hospital in an ambulance as a precautionary measure, said school officials.
Just being inside the building triggered memories of the shootings, said student Andrew Flemming.
"I can't even stand to look into the atrium without seeing the emotion that everyone is carrying with them," said Flemming, 19.
The atrium next to Dawson's cafeteria is where gunman Kimveer Gill opened fire and shot most of his victims, including Anastasia De Sousa, who died at the scene.
On Tuesday morning, some students who visited the area stood and stared at the walls, wheremessages forthe victims were posted.
Other students hurried through the atrium with red eyes. Getting back to "normal" will be difficult, admitted teachers at the college, who said students will likely find it hard to focus on schoolwork in the next few days. Teachers said they plan to ease back into the curriculum.
School work will be a welcome distraction for some students, said Flemming. "However you want to do it, you just have to make sure you keep going on," he said.
But other students may need to talk, said mental health workers, who were on hand Monday afternoon when students first returnedto meet with teachers and pick up their belongings.
The McGill University Health Centre dispatched57therapists to the college to speak with students.
They had to call for reinforcements, however, because of the overwhelming demand fortheir services,said Karine Josee Igartua, who heads emergency psychiatric services at the hospital.
"This was much busier than they had anticipated," said Igartua.