St. Louis marked the somber second anniversary of the school shooting that claimed the lives of two members of the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School community. On October 24, 2022, a former student entered the school premises and opened fire, leading to the death of 15-year-old dance student Alexzandria Bell and 61-year-old health and physical education teacher Jean Kuczka, as reported by KSDK. The community gathered in a vigil to honor their memory and support those impacted.
Mayor Tishaura Jones held a moment of silence for the victims, to clearly acknowledge the weight of the tragedy. "I want to acknowledge that this day is the second anniversary of the central visual and performing arts shooting where an armed intruder shot and killed Alexandria Bell and Jean Kuczka and wounded many others," Jones said, in a statement reported by KSDK. In an echo to this sentiment, families and the surrounding community gathered at St. Margaret of Scotland Church to hold a service remembering the lives lost. "The hole will never fill and we will ever not be thinking of them and the way that they should still be with you," parishioner Emily Schiltz shared in a statement obtained by First Alert 4.
St. Louis Public Schools responded by giving students at CVPA and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience the day off to commemorate the tragedy. Additionally, in a gesture of resilience, students and faculty were offered the opportunity to spend time at the Missouri Botanical Garden, with therapy dogs to be present at the schools the following day. This was reported by St. Louis Public Radio. School Board President Toni Cousins expressed admiration for the community, citing their strength and ability to continue in the face of such adversity. "I have so much respect for the students and staff of Central VPA and CSMB because of the resilience they have," Cousins informed St. Louis Public Radio.
Prompted by the haunting event, a group led by St. Margaret's parishioners has come together to invoke a call to action. The formation of the Gun Sense For The Common Good committee seeks to advocate for gun safety and reforms. Emily Schiltz, whose children were in the school during the shooting, became involved to push for change. "My kids were victims in the sense of what they witnessed, but it could have been them. And every child, every child deserves to come home alive at the end of the day, full stop," Schiltz told KSDK.
