A year after Oxford shooting, here's how Michigan is honoring the students lost

As light snow fell in Oxford, residents bowed their heads in silence for a minute, acknowledging the moment 911 calls first began a year ago Wednesday at Oxford High School.

At Evergreen's Coffee and Bakeshop in the middle of town, a roaring espresso machine quieted, while patrons — many wearing Oxford's blue and gold — sat in silence at 12:51 p.m. Some gripped each other's hands, and some wrapped each other in hugs. After the sun went down on Wednesday evening, residents began to set luminarias along roads and driveways, white lanterns with candles inside of them, as a show of unity.

One year without Hana. One year without Tate. One year without Madisyn. One year without Justin.

The moment of silence was observed across Oxford. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered flags to be lowered at half-staff at state buildings. The day marks one year after the Oxford High School shooting on Nov. 30, 2021, left four students dead and wounded six students and a teacher.

The community is marking the date in a few ways, all aimed at honoring the young lives lost in the attack: Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, Justin Shilling and Tate Myre. The school district has dubbed the day Wildcat Remembrance Day.

"Words will never be enough to meet the scale of the loss that this town has been through," Whitmer said in a news release issued Tuesday. "But all of Michigan sends its love, its prayers, and its commitment to working together to keep all our families and communities safe.” 

At Oakwood Community Church in Ortonville on Wednesday night, just minutes away from Oxford, families gathered to mark the day.

"I just want to provide a safe place for people who wanted to gather with other people," Lead Pastor Don Jackson said. "Some people need to be alone. But some people might need other people."

At Oxford High, people left flowers and luminarias at the school's sign Wednesday evening.

All Oxford Community Schools students have Wednesday off, according to the district's superintendent. The decision was made by a team of administrators, social workers and teachers, who determined that students and staff who survived the Oxford High School shooting may all need to cope in different ways. The district is also expecting an increase in the number of threats it will receive on Wednesday.

"Spend this day how your family needs to — to heal, reflect, mourn, and most of all to love," Superintendent Ken Weaver, who resigned this month, wrote in an October message to district families.

More:'It's been brutal': Parents of Oxford shooting victims look for path forward 1 year later

Around Oxford, businesses are opening their doors for high school students and others for the day. Oxford Open-Handed, a nonprofit that provides resources like winter clothes to families in need, is inviting Oxford residents to spread messages of kindness around the community from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 22 W. Burdick St. in Oxford. The All For Oxford Resiliency Center at 1370 S. Lapeer Road will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering mental health resources.

In a joint news release, Leaders of End Gun Violence Michigan and No Future Without Today, an organization founded by Oxford survivors dedicated to gun reform, said, "We must hold onto our grief, our shock, our anger, and our compassion and fight for change."

In the same news release, Hana St. Juliana's sister, Reina St. Juliana, wrote: “We shouldn’t have to be doing any of this. We want to be able to live with our sisters, friends and classmates, not just remember them.”

Lawmakers and other prominent Michiganders are also sending prayers and love to Oxford as the community grieves through this milestone.

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At the state Capitol on Tuesday, state Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, called for a moment of silence among lawmakers to honor Oxford. Bayer's district includes Oxford, and she said she had family members in the building that day last November.

"The moment I heard what was going on in Oxford, I’ll never forget," she said. "Even now, I’m shaking as I think about it. Trying to just keep it together. Trying to not jump in the car and just drive." 

Clara Hendrickson contributed to this report. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.