BUTTE — As students head back to school here in America, another mass shooting has marred the beginning of the school year.
Now, students here at Butte Central Catholic High School are responding to the tragedy that occurred at another Catholic school in Minnesota.
"I was a little bit in shock once stuff like this happens, like I get more nervous walking in and out of school because I’m scared someone’s going to be like in the courtyard," says Caden Tippett, a senior at Butte Central High School.
Tippett is one of approximately 55 million school children in America. According to a gun safety group, from 2013 to 2022, over 700 incidents of gun-related violence, including homicides, suicides, assaults, and mass shootings, have occurred on school grounds in the United States.
Caden says despite being about 1000 miles from Minnesota, the school shooting hits close to home.
"It’s just a terrible tragedy, and it’s terrible to hear about, and it hit kinda close to home knowing that they were also a Catholic school," says Tippett.
Butte Central students gathered briefly to offer prayer for the Minnesota school and the children who were murdered.
Tippett says prayer helps to soothe her fears, but she wants to see more attention brought to the issue of gun violence in schools.
WATCH: Butte students reflect on Minnesota school shooting
"It’s so normalized, and that’s why it’s happening so often. I think the government can do more things that they’re not doing. They’re worrying about other issues when this is a very big one that needs to be looked at too," says Tippett.
According to Butte Central officials, the private school has safety measures in place including locked entry ways and access to school resource officers with the Butte Police.
"Our hearts go out to all the victims and all their families and the whole school. It’s a terrible thing that should never have happened."
