Windsor

Michigan high school reopens nearly 2 months after shooting that left 4 students dead

The Michigan high school where four students were killed reopened for the first time since the Nov. 30 shooting that also injured other students and a teacher.

Oxford High School student faces charges in incident that also injured 6 students, teacher

Memorial items are shown on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Officials planned to welcome students back to Oxford High School on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, which is reopening for the first time since four students were killed and six students and a teacher were injured during a shooting at the school on Nov. 30, 2021. (Paul Sancya/The Associated Press)

The Michigan high school where four students were fatally shot in late November reopened Monday for the first time since the attack.

Oxford High School students had been attending classes at other buildings since Jan. 10.

Everything "went very well" Monday morning as staff and students returned to classes, said Oxford Community Schools spokesperson Dani Stublensky.

Six students and a teacher were also injured during the Nov. 30 shooting.

A fellow student, Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with murder and other crimes.

His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, also face charges. They are accused of making a gun accessible to their son and refusing to take him home when school staff expressed concern about his writings earlier on the day of the shooting. 

Misia Winowski, centre left, holds her 14-year-old daughter Madolyne close as they seek healing and comfort during a candlelight vigil Dec. 3 along Washington Street in downtown Oxford, Mich., just days after a fatal school shooting. (Jake May/The Flint Journal/The Associated Press)

The high school is in Oakland County, about 50 kilometres north of Detroit.

The school's interior has been renovated since the shooting, with new paint, wall graphics and ceiling tiles.

Principal Steve Wolf said in a video posted Sunday that construction crews had been working "tirelessly" on the renovations and school staff worked hard to "prepare our students for a safe return to school."

"We have been through so much to get to this moment. We've been grieving together, we've been praying together, we've attended funerals, vigils and memorials, and we have been absolutely heartbroken. And we've been angry," Wolf said in the video.

"Yet we've been determined to carry on ... And we are reclaiming our high school back."

The district asked reporters to stay away from the school campus Monday.

"The kids are just trying to heal and recover," Stublensky said.

"As a community, we will get through this with love and grace for one another," Supt. Tim Throne said last week, referring to the school's reopening and legal cases related to the shooting.

A temporary memorial set up outside the school was removed before students returned. Throne said experts advised removing it would help students "further their healing process."

A permanent memorial is planned.

Oxford High School students returned to classes Monday for the first time since the Nov. 30 shooting. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via The Associated Press)

With files from CBC News

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