ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Tuesday marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting incident at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, in which a gunman, who was a former student at the school, broke into the school, shooting a teacher and a student, before being killed by police officers in a shootout.
For everyone at the school, from parents, teachers, students, it is still a tough to remember or think about that day.
Stephanie Krauss, the Godmother of Brian Collins, who was shot at CVPA, still can't believe it has been a full year since the shooting.
"It hard to really realize that it has been a full year," said Krauss, "It's been a fullest fastest years. My son Justice and I were driving this morning and talking what it was like a year ago and exactly what happened. We realized it one of those days that will live forever in our minds, every detail secured."
Josie Johnston, a teacher at Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, whose building is on the same campus as CPVA, says teachers asked if they could not have classes Monday and Tuesday due to the stress from remembering what happened on that day.
"(Teachers) were very apprehensive and full of anxiety, thinking about being in the building" said Johnston, "There were some of our staff members that didn't know how to react being in the building, but they knew that if they were with students, they could not be allowed to fall apart if they needed to."
Johnston says that the school has offered teachers help to deal with the anxiety and stress, but many teachers are still suffering PTSD from the shooting.
"The violence that unfolded and we all experienced, it has left a mark we can't away from," said Johnston, "It's constantly on your mind. Fire Drills, sirens, all of that can trigger any kind of anxiety and take us back to that day. Sometimes the mention of a gun brings the stress of emotions. Even driving to the school every day can bring up those thoughts and feeling. It's very triggering on that end."
KMOX's own Debbie Monterrey, who famously reported on the shooting live on air and receiving text messages from her daughter Caeli, who was a senior at CSMB, says she had no time to process her thoughts and emotions due to being on the air.
"I was watching the whole thing, live texting on my phone," said Monterrey, "When Caeli said everyone was running out the building with their hands up and told me she was running the Schnucks on the Hill parking lot, we went to commercial and I just started crying. Carol (Daniel) came to hug me after holding it together for so long."
Dr. Keisha Scarlett, Superintendent for St. Louis Public Schools talked about how things have changed at the school in the last year, from the district's security budget being increased, locks and windows at the school being replaced and added armed officers to the school's security detail.
"Safety has always been and will continue to do be our top priority," said Scarlett.
