The Covenant School unveils building renovations more than one year after shooting

The Covenant School in Nashville displayed its renovations to local media Tuesday. The changes were made after the shooting that killed three children and three adults at the school in March 2023. Classes resumed inside the building in April 2024.

What did the renovations entail? The school redesigned some of the building’s layout, adding a layer of separation from the scene of the tragedy. The school also changed the decor, including carpet and paint, and added rainbow lighting along a school hallway. The rainbow is a reminder of hope for the school, Head of School Trudy Waters told WKRN.com in Nashville.

In May 2023, Tennessee invested more than $230 million to strengthen safety at the state’s public and private schools.

How did The Covenant School react to the shooting? Covenant School Director of Communications Christy Foster wrote in an April news release that the promise of the cross was more personal to Covenant School students and staff than ever because of the shooting. She added that death and pain would not have the final word, and that promise would repeatedly play out in the school’s story.

Students and staff continue to see the ways the Lord is providing for and loving the community, the school wrote in a statement on the one-year anniversary of the shooting in March. The statement went on to say that God has been and would continue to be their hope and strength.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry's report from the school days after the shooting.