Arapahoe students go back to school after shooting

Arapahoe High School students in Centennial are back in class for the first time sincethe fatal Dec. 13 shooting on campus.

Students have not attended classes since Karl Pierson, a senior at Arapahoe, entered the school through a door that was propped open and fatally shot Claire Davis before killing himself.

“Our motto since 50 Years ago was warriors always take care of one another,” said junior Sophie Kanauf. “This task has really proven that we can withstand anything and we will be able to get through it.”

Kanauf said school offers a sense of normalcy as they continue to cope with the shooting that shocked the community.

“Ididn’t know what to expect,” said Kanauf. “It was nice coming in and seeing that sense of community Arapahoe has and how strong it is even after everything we have gone through.”

Senior Nick Farmen said there are going to be some tough times.

“Fifth hour is when the shooting happened so that’s probably going to be the hardest hour to go to,” said Farmen.

Principal Natalie Pramenko sent a letter to parents saying additional deputies from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office will be at the campus and extra school district staff members will be on hand to help students as the school reopens on Tuesday.

Farmen and his classmates said they feltsafe going back to class.

“I’m ready to go back with my Arapahoe family. I’m not really worried or scared,” said Megan Derrevere.

“Ithought it would be a lot harder coming in but I noticed all the teachers had a Warrior or Arapahoe T-shirt on and it really made me feel more at home,” said Farmen.

Junior Sophie Pappas said students learned a lot during their three weeks away from school. It was a community lesson in love, support and honoring a fallen warrior.

“I think it just kind of brought out the love,” said Pappas.