ST. LOUIS – Nearly three months after a fatal campus shooting, students at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis return to in-person learning Tuesday morning.

Students will a “Welcome back CVPA strong” sign when they start arriving around 6:30 a.m. as the first bell is at 7:00 a.m. When students get inside the building, they will see murals of hope and love on their lockers. Officials hope the murals will help with the ongoing healing process after the tragic events.

Back on October 24, a former CVPA graduate opened fire inside the school; killing 15-year-old student Alexandria Bell and 61-year-old teacher Jean Kuczka. Several others were also hurt.

The shooter was killed by police.

CVPA students have been going to school virtually for some time, and school officials shared that they expect some students will continue to do that. A lot of has been done to get ready for students to return.

Extra security measures are in place, including eight on-site security officers – some will be armed. There will also be more police patrols in the neighborhood and additional cameras throughout the campus. More than 160 interior doors have been replaced, and there are plans to replace exterior doors as well.

FOX 2 spoke with CVPA Principal, Dr. Kacy Seals about this first day back.

“I want them to just show up. And there is no time on trauma, so it’s not about rushing the healing process, but letting them know that we are all here for one another. We were all impacted by that day in one way or another – and so I want them to just be themselves and just to show up.”

CVPA shares the building here with the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience. The shooting took place in the CVPA part of the building. The CSMB students returned to in-person learning after Thanksgiving.