Preschool resumes at Annunciation Catholic School following mass shooting

Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune on Sep 9, 2025

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Less than two weeks after a shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School, killing two children and wounding 21 others, preschool resumed this week at the south Minneapolis church and school.

Nearly 20 preschool students and their parents returned to school Monday, said Matthew DeBoer, the principal at Annunciation Catholic School, during a “chapel chat” video posted on social media.

Annunciation staff and their spouses also engaged in “collective healing work” at the campus.

“It’s so important that we stay together, that we stay in this,” DeBoer said. “Because right now, we’re doing really well at doing community, and we want to stay that way together.”

On Sunday, more than a thousand people attended the funeral for 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who was killed in the Aug. 27 mass shooting along with 10-year-old Harper Moyski. A celebration of life for Harper is scheduled for Sept. 14 at the Lake Harriet Band Shell in Minneapolis.

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