WATCH: Students Cheer As Sophia Forchas Returns To Annunciation Catholic School

TWIN CITIES, MN — Students, teachers, and community members gathered at Annunciation Catholic School this week to welcome 12-year-old Sophia Forchas back to campus on her way home from the hospital.

Sophia was shot in the head during the Aug. 27 attack that also killed classmates Harper Moyski, 10, and Fletcher Merkel, 8. Doctors initially warned she might not survive.

She is now the final hospitalized victim to return home.

“Join our joy!” the school wrote in a post with a video of the visit, showing Sophia smiling as classmates and teachers greeted her. “Seeing her smile and feel the embrace of her school family was a reminder of the strength and heart of this community,” the post said.

Sophia spent several weeks in intensive care at Hennepin Healthcare and a month in rehabilitation at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. On Thursday, her parents, Tom and Amy Forchas, shared that their daughter was finally returning home.

“Today marks one of the most extraordinary days of our lives! Our beloved daughter, Sophia, is coming home,” they wrote in an update on the family’s GoFundMe page.

At Hennepin Healthcare, staff members lined up to greet her as she stopped by on her way home, escorted by Minneapolis police. “She has inspired so many of us and this day is truly a reason to celebrate,” the hospital wrote. “#SophiaStrong.”

Sophia continues outpatient therapy and faces more recovery ahead. According to the family, her speech improves every day, her personality is returning, and she can now walk, swim, and even dribble a basketball.

In a September update, the Forchas family called her survival “an undeniable testament to the mercy and intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ,” saying her progress was made possible through faith and the prayers of many.

Two months later, she returned to her school community to applause and tears of relief.

The family continues to pray for those still affected by the tragedy. “May their memory be eternal,” they wrote. “May God grant healing, consolation and His peace to all who grieve.”

The GoFundMe supporting the Forchas family has raised thousands of dollars to help cover medical costs, counseling, and therapy as Sophia’s recovery continues