HOW WELL I REMEMBER the first day of classes at the start of a new school year. Decades ago as a student. Then as a parent of three. And now as a grandparent.
As a student, I felt excited. Nervous. Happy. I remember the sharp tips of new Crayola crayons. The discomfort of new shoes. Piles of multi-colored notebooks awaiting words.
As a mom, I remember worrying if my kids would catch the right bus, make friends, like their teachers.
But none of that matches the concerns I feel today as the grandmother of a first grader and a fourth grader who begin classes Tuesday morning in a community in the south metro. The deadly shooting of two students and injury of 21 others (including three octogenarian worshipers) during a morning back-to-school Mass last week at Annunciation Catholic Church in south Minneapolis weighs heavy on all of us.
Children, teachers and staff should feel and be safe in school. Parents should never have to wonder if their children will come home. Grandparents shouldn’t have to worry how their children, their grandchildren, are going to navigate all of this.
But school violence is all too real. And it shouldn’t be. I invite you to read a blog post by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson (click here), a mother, grandmother, writer, photographer, poet and activist. She writes with passion and clarity about the Annunciation shooting and gun violence, including steps we can take to change things. Kathleen’s words are powerful and move us to a place of action with the strong word, “Demand.”
As someone who grew up in Minneapolis, Kathleen writes from the heart. She is grieving. Angry. Frustrated. Just like me. Just like so many of us in Minnesota and beyond.
To the politicians out there who put guns before kids and who vote against funding for mental health programs, pause for a moment and assess your priorities. Walk in the shoes of kids, parents, grandparents, teachers. And then think of Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, shot to death in a Minneapolis church during the first week of classes at Annunciation Catholic School.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
It is terrifying. And the young survivors of that horrific shooting? How will life unfold for them? I share your concern for our grandchildren going to school. An excellent post, Audrey. I’ll go read the linked post now.
It’s hard, just so hard. Thank you for reading Kathleen’s powerful post.
Thanks for the referral to Cassen Mickelson’s post. It is so difficult to think about the joyful things that happen this time of year in the face of the shootings. I was visiting my daughter and family in the Twin Cities this weekend. As we drove around, I thought about the impact of the tragedy as we saw people at the store, playground, farmer’s market etc. Surely it was on their minds. If you and your readers subscribe to the Star Tribune, there is a column by Karen Tolkkinen on the differing rural vs urban attitudes towards guns. Communication and understanding of what we initially see as opposing opinions could go a long way toward getting better legislation.
Thanks for bringing up the point of rural vs urban differences. And thanks for directing us to Karen’s column.
Hello Audrey – my grandmother heart is right there with yours. Thank you for directing people to read my blog post about this, too. I appreciate that. This morning, I was out with my granddaughter Maeve for preschool picture day at the Richfield Central Education Center. After we were done, I took a meandering route back to my own house that took me right in front of Annunciation. There was a police car sitting in front of the church and hundreds of bouquets of flowers lining the sidewalk. I was so overcome by an enormous wave of grief as I drove by that I considered pulling over. But Maeve was in the back seat and, since she’s only three, I wasn’t going to tell her what we were driving by in that moment or why my eyes were tearing up. But she knew I was sad and asked me what I was sad about. That was tough. I just told her that some kids got hurt there and people were really sad about that because I’m not sure what her parents have told her. But she asked more questions about the kids than I expected. I did not tell her there were guns involved. She needs to be able to be happy and free of fear when she goes to preschool tomorrow. She – and every single kid out there – needs to have a childhood with as few monsters as possible. Demanding that for our kids is the least we can do. I hope your grandkids – and all the other kids starting a new term – have a wonderful school year with peace, with joy, with love.
Kathleen, your story about Maeve breaks my heart. What an astute granddaughter you have to recognize your sadness and to ask you about it. That shows compassion, love and care, even if she’s only three. This is all so hard. Peace, love and joy sound pretty darn good as the school year begins.
All I can think of is innocents as well as people in general going about their day and then a tragedy happens that no one can wrap their heads/minds around. We just watched a snippet of the story Steve Hartman put together documenting the bedrooms of kids killed in school shootings – I felt the feels watching it – from it should not be – from it opens it up for discussion. It is hard to open up about loss and navigate it from should we discuss, grieve, remember the memories of the loved one, et. al. Again, innocents that should not have to experience this, especially in attending school, church, etc. It is the norm to prepare for some type of attack or violence – it is just sad. Sending prayers ((((((loveandhugs)))))
Thank you, Renee, for sharing your thoughts and your love and prayers. I need to watch that Hartman documentary.
His piece was powerful and it made me feel all the feels from sad to mad to teary and everything in between.
Thank you again for sharing about Hartman’s documentary and how you felt while watching it.
yes, Audrey, you must all have such incredibly mixed feelings this year. I reached out to all of my grandchildren, my daughter who teaches, my friends who teach, and. my former colleagues to let them know I’m thinking of them with heart and soul today. thank you for linking us to Kathleen’s writing, it was very powerful and I’m now following her. I always appreciate learning about new bloggers from those I admire.
Beth, thank you for showing your care by reaching out to those you love and offering your support and encouragement. And thank you for reading Kathleen’s writing. She is a thoughtful and gifted writer.