Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Students and their guardians from the Ugo Foscolo High School in Albano Laziale, who were at the scene of the shooting in Krakow's Market Square on Saturday, returned to Albano this morning. The students arrived in the town near Rome this morning by bus. Among those waiting for them in Piazza Zampetti were Albano Laziale Mayor Massimo Ferrarini and the high school principal, Adele Bottiglieri.
The bus was greeted with applause upon arrival in Albano.
The boys found their parents waiting for them: emotional moments, long hugs, and finally the return home after the fear. "This sad story, which has kept us in suspense for the last two days, is finally over. Our boys were unharmed solely by a stroke of luck. This cannot be said for the others who were present in the square, to whom our condolences go, and our sympathies go to the families of the victims and the injured," Ferrarini said.
"As a municipality, we are also available to care for the children after their return," the mayor concluded. "We'll see how shaken they are. Our social services will be available to try to do whatever is necessary."
"The kids are definitely more relaxed than yesterday; the trip went well, there's definitely still a lot of adrenaline, and then they'll have time to process this unpleasant experience," said headmistress Bottiglieri.
Two classes from Foscolo High School, along with three teachers, had left for the Krakow-Auschwitz Memorial Trip. They were supposed to fly back the evening of the attack, but were unable to make the flight because of the incident. Today, they all returned by bus. "The trip went well; when they crossed the border, there was certainly a moment of greater peace," the school principal emphasized. "They wanted to return home, so we did everything we could to ensure they were able to return quickly."
Regarding the accounts of their dramatic experience, the principal explained: "They clearly had different individual reactions. Some had moments of genuine panic, while others were able to react a little more calmly; some were stunned, others were certainly relieved to have been involved, but it went well. They definitely had an experience beyond their control." The school is ready to help the children overcome what happened: "We are also in contact with the social services of Albano Laziale and are trying to understand the best way to intervene and support them," Bottiglieri concluded. "Now, I believe, their desire is to return home and embrace their families again. It's a moment of celebration and welcome, and then surely, little by little, there will be time to process it: we are ready to welcome them back to school and support them along this journey."
"It will take time to process; it was a traumatic experience. The kids were strong and even supported us in difficult moments: they were truly spectacular," said Lucia Darino, a high school teacher who was with the two classes who had left for the Remembrance Day trip. "It was difficult, but we rolled up our sleeves and tried to manage the situation immediately and keep the kids together, even though they were initially in separate locations. Then, with the help of the embassy, the honorary consul, and the Polish police, we managed to gather everyone together. And once we were all gathered, we were in safe places, except that we were locked in several places for a long time: first in an underground shopping center, then they took us to a nearby hotel that was locked up as a precaution," said teacher Gianluca Prestipino, also with the kids in Krakow. "Then we returned to our hotel much later," he continued, "and so we missed the plane we were supposed to leave that evening." “We'll talk about it again at school; they have to process everything and try to understand,” Prestipino concluded. “Then, fortunately, everything will return to normal.”
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