In a dark year after a deadly rampage, how a church gave Nashville's Covenant School hope

Covenant School first grade teacher Kellie Reifenberger wiped away tears as she reflected on a year of trauma and healing. She's struggled at times but said her faith in God has never been stronger thanks to one special church that has served as a temporary home for Covenant in the wake of the tragedy in Tennessee.

“In the darkest of days, we have to look for the light,” she said. “Our alma mater at Covenant says we’re a beacon on a hill, and these people have been a beacon in our valley.”

Wednesday marks one year since a mass shooter, armed with two assault-like rifles and a handgun, killed six people at the Nashville Christian elementary school on March 27, 2023.

The victims were head of school Katherine Koonce, 60; custodian Mike Hill, 61; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and 9-year-old third-graders Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, the Covenant Presbyterian Church pastor’s daughter.

Police killed the shooter 14 minutes after the initial 911 call.

In a building riddled with bullet holes and traumatic memories, Covenant staff scrambled to find a space where they could finish the school year and provide some version of a normal routine for students.

Five miles east of Covenant’s hilltop campus, leaders at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ sprung into action and offered their building.

The biggest mission yet for local church

Founded in Nashville in 1955, Brentwood Hills had long supported its community with local missions. This was their biggest mission yet.

The 1,000-member congregation moved meetings to free up space and converted small Bible study rooms into classrooms with books, bulletin boards and other supplies.

The Tennessee Department of Education approved the use of the church as a temporary school, and within weeks, the hallways were filled with roughly 200 Covenant students and staff.

It was cramped, but they were together.

“From day one they have been so welcoming and loving,” Reifenberger said. “They immediately wrapped us up and said, ‘You have a home here.’”

Covenant is now preparing to bring students back to the school's original building in April after nearly a year at the makeshift campus.

In interviews, Reifenberger and several parents said they are profoundly grateful to Brentwood Hills for providing a safe and healing space.

While they will continue to face challenges, they said they feel ready to return to Covenant’s campus and move forward.

Covenant School community finds safety after tragedy

Reifenberger taught second grade last year and was with her class when the gunshots rang out.

A new teacher at Covenant, she had recently moved from Atlanta with her husband and felt instantly welcomed by the school’s close-knit community.

In the days following the tragedy, Reifenberger, a teacher for two decades, knew she would stay with her students, but she worried about how they would finish the school year.

She said she was immediately put at ease when she was greeted by Brentwood Hills staff and parishioners on the first day in the church.

“They just welcomed us and invited us to everything,” she said. “They even invited the teachers to Bingo Night.”

At lunchtime, church staff read books to the children. On hot days, a parishioner brought red umbrellas to protect kids from the sun.

They let therapy dogs into the church lobby to comfort the children, and on school theme days, like Western Day, church staff would dress the part.

Timeline: The Covenant School shooting and the dramatic year that followed

In May, the church threw a big picnic barbeque with bouncy houses, face painting and carnival games. All the Covenant families were invited.

Reifenberger said the picnic was a big hit with the kids and helped with the healing process.

For her own healing, Reifenberger, a 58-year-old mother of three, said she takes daily walks in the fresh air.

“I just try to keep doing things that I know are good for my body, and focus on the light and the good,” she said. “I don’t worry about the small things anymore.”

Memories of the school shooting haunt families

For Meredith and Brent Leatherwood, whose three children attend Covenant (their daughter was in Reifenberger’s class during the shooting), the past year has seen ups and downs.

“There's a lot of times where it feels good, that they've been able to recover from this in a good way, even though it's never ever going to be fully over,” Meredith Leatherwood said. “But then there are moments that take you right back to it.”

But the Leatherwoods said Brentwood Hills has been integral in helping their children through the anxious days.

They’re different denominations. Covenant is Presbyterian, while Brentwood Hills is Church of Christ. Brent Leatherwood serves as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. But he said they’re all unified under Christ.

“In this moment, Brentwood Hills flung open their doors to a community that had been scattered by the most horrific event imaginable,” he said. “What an incredible picture of the gospel.”

April Manning, a Covenant mom of three and a former parent association president, said she feels the same.

“For me as a parent, it was terrifying having to get used to bringing them back to school, so to have them be in such a warm and loving place, it helped the kids but it also helped the parents,” she said.

When Manning thanked church staff one day for letting Covenant use the building, she said they thanked her, noting that it was “God’s building.”

Brooke Ryan said her 10-year-old son initially had a hard time getting out of the car to go to school in the new building.

He felt his classroom was too far away from his younger sister’s class and feared he wouldn’t be able to save her if there was another shooting, Ryan said.

But his anxiety eased over the months. And recently, Ryan said, he was so eager to go to school one morning that he jumped out of the car. He forgot to say goodbye to her.

“I think that’s a testament to the healing space they provided,” she said.

Covenant students and staff returning to campus in April

As for returning to the original Covenant campus next month, parents said they are ready to go back as they all have a shared experience and understanding. A mix of joy and sorrow.

“We can sit in a chapel and feel so much joy that our kids are on stage singing and smiling, and then I can turn to another parent and just start crying, and they get it,” Ryan said. “It’s like being with your family.”

Ryan’s husband, Adam Ryan, said he hopes Covenant can change the narrative and move past the negative association with the name that has plagued other school tragedies, like in Uvalde, Texas.

“My prayer is that there will be another narrative, another feeling that comes to mind when someone mentions Covenant in that setting,” he said.

Parents said they have been preparing their kids for returning to campus by attending small school events.

“I tell them we’re not going to be afraid of this building because this is the Lord’s building, this belongs to the Lord,” Meredith Leatherwood said. “We’re gonna let God heal us through this.”

Healing with support from Nashville and around the world

In addition to the help from Brentwood Hills, Reifenberger said she was blown away by the support from Nashville and around the world.

She said her class received heartfelt letters from other students in countries like France and Canada. Local schools and bookstores donated supplies, while restaurants gave free lunches.

Covenant School in a statement said it has been overwhelmed over the past year by the love and support from the Nashville community and Brentwood Hills Church of Christ.

“While for most people March 27 was something terrible that happened almost a year ago, for us, it is still very much an everyday part of life that we continue to navigate through with the wellbeing of our community as our number one concern,” the school said.

As she looks to the future, Reifenberger said she felt it was important to tell the story of the church that lifted a school in a time of need.

“I know March 27 is coming and there's going to be horrible stories,” she said. “But this is what the world needs to see. There's such goodness in this world.”

Kelly Puente reports for The Tennessean.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville school shooting one year later: A church gave Covenant home