Following the murder-suicide of seven area residents over the holiday break, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials started the new school year on Monday by providing grief counseling to students.

The Grapevine Police Department on Dec. 25 found the bodies of three men and four women inside an apartment at Grapevine's Lincoln Vineyards complex. The gunman dressed as Santa Claus, 56-year-old Azizolah Yazdanpanah, opened fire on his wife, children, and other relatives before killing himself, police said.

Ali Yazdanpanah, 14, was a freshman at Colleyville Heritage High School and his sister, 19-year-old Nona Yazdanpanah, had recently graduated from there, police said.

On Monday, grief counselors visited Colleyville Heritage High School, Colleyville Middle School and O.C. Taylor Elementary School. The counselors talked to students and staff about the incident and provided emotional support for those who knew the victims, GCISD spokeswoman Megan Overman said.

"Those students attended all three of those schools throughout their career in GCISD, so we wanted to make sure we had help for students and staff at all those locations," she said.

Schools will be providing grief counseling support to students for as long as necessary, Overman said.