Columbine High Reopens Amid Cheers

LITTLETON, Colo. â€”  Four months after two gunmen sent them fleeing in horror, students reclaimed Columbine High, striding through the doors Monday for the start of the school year with high-fives and cheers of “We are Columbine!â€�

“Although we were surrounded by terror and destruction, we still stood strong. We have prevailed. We have overcome. Each of us is the spirit of Columbine. Welcome home, Rebels!� said student body President Mike Sheehan during a rousing “Take Back the School� rally before the doors swung open.

During the gathering of students, teachers and parents in the parking lot, pop music blared, cheerleaders led the crowd in chants and the school band played the national anthem.

As the American flag and a state flag were raised from half-staff, the crowd shouted, “We are Columbine!� over and over, the crescendo of their chant rising with the flags.

Then teachers snipped a blue ribbon and nearly 2,000 students began filing into the school, where bullet holes have been plastered and painted over; gray walls have been painted white, green and blue, and the library, where most of the carnage took place, has been walled off with lockers.

“I have waited for months to say this, and I say it with great pride: Columbine, we are back!� Principal Frank DeAngelis shouted.

Wearing “We are Columbine� T-shirts and new identification badges, some students walked arm in arm, grinning and chatting. Others exchanged high-fives as they stepped through the door, where they were greeted by clapping school employees.

“People want to see us go back into that school,� said sophomore Chanelle Plank, 15. “Going in shows courage.�

On April 20, students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, heavily armed with explosives and guns, opened fire just outside the school and then strode through the same doors used Monday. They killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 people before committing suicide.

The students were mostly upbeat Monday as they returned to class, striving for a normal day under abnormal circumstances.

They walked from a secured parking area to the school along a sidewalk lined with about 400 parents and alumni. Police officers patrolled the neighborhood, and dogs sniffed the grounds for explosives.

In classrooms, teachers reminded students that counseling is available; about 25 students used the service.

“There’s mixed feelings. Some people are very happy to be back; others can’t handle being here,� senior Kim Blair said during her lunch break. “It’s somewhat typical, but somewhat really strange.�