Community mourns loss of student
ROYERSFORD >> Spring-Ford Area School District officials looked to return to a sense of normalcy Monday, as authorities continued their investigation into the death of a student who apparently committed suicide last week.
Multiple postings online suggest the ninth-grader may have been the victim of cyber bullying.
Meanwhile, a groundswell of community support for the student and the family has been generated, as more than $46,000 in donations have been raised to help pay for the student’s funeral expenses.
Limerick Township Police and the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office said Monday they could not comment on an active investigation, but offered condolences.
“It’s unfortunate and sad for the family,” Limerick Police Chief Brian Skelton said Monday. “We’re working hard.”
“It’s a tragic situation,” said Kim Delano, the district attorney’s office spokeswoman.
A “majority” of the 600 students at the school district’s Ninth Grade Center left school early with a parent or guardian on Friday, April 7, after news of the student’s death broke, district spokeswoman Erin Crew said Monday.
Grief counselors were made available Friday and Saturday inside the school’s auditorium, Superintendent David Goodin said in two statements posted on the district’s website.
Contact information for 24-hour emergency crisis hot lines in Montgomery and Chester counties were listed and materials were available for parents to help them talk about grief with their children. Information on how to use the Spring-Ford Student Assistance Program, which features trained teachers and counselors who help and support students experiencing difficulty, was also available.
“We encourage our school community to care for one another as we cope with this loss of a young life,” Goodin said.
Ninth Grade Center Principal Theresa Weidenbaugh said in a letter sent to parents Sunday
the goal this week was to “maintain our regular daily bell schedule while providing additional crisis counseling and supports as necessary.”
The loss of the student, she said, “has been felt throughout the entire Spring-Ford community and we will continue to help our students and families cope with this tragedy.”
Images of online conversations with the student suggesting they were the victim of cyber bullying have made their way onto social media, but Crew could not confirm what was shared.
Goodin cautioned parents to check with their students about their social media usage.
“Social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter are rapidly becoming a primary means of communication for people of all ages, especially youth,” Goodin said. “I encourage you to monitor the relevant social media sites, and to be thoughtful as you speak with your children about the use of social media.”
Jess Fenchel, of the Montgomery County Mobile Crisis Service, said when dealing with a suicide situation, particularly with a child, “rarely ever is it one singular thing that makes someone feel hopeless and alone.”
With adolescents in particular, thoughts of suicide are impulsively driven, she said. They lose hope and have more trouble seeing the long view of a situation than adults.
In the student’s obituary, the family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to National Eating Disorders Association, or to Pillars of Light and Love for cyber bullying support groups.
The district, at this point, does not have any new or additional plans to address cyber bullying with students, other than what has already been scheduled. School assemblies can be planned up to a year in advance in some cases, Crew said. That said, she said she was “100 percent” certain there was programming already planned that would touch on topics like suicide prevention and cyber bullying in the future. Additionally, the district has ongoing resources it provides students, specifically at the ninth grade center for suicide prevention. Students can submit anonymous information if they feel another student may be at risk, which will reach a school’s principal and guidance counselors.
This past January, the district hosted a Family Tech Talk Night for parents to discuss how to talk to students about the appropriate use of their cell phones and computers. Additionally, the district holds a unity day in each school every month that discusses different topics, including social media usage and cyber bullying. In February, faculty and staff received mental health first aid training. Lastly, the district features daily reminders through its THINK posters, which asks students to decide before they post something online, whether it is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary and or Kind.
Services for the student will be held at Christ Church of the Valley, 1560 Yeager Road, Royersford beginning with a candlelight vigil Tuesday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. Then services begin Wednesday, April 12 at 10 a.m. and the funeral ceremony starts at noon.
To help pay for a memorial service, a GoFundMe. com online fundraising campaign has been set up. In just two days, the campaign surged past its $20,000 goal and as of press time Monday had collected $46,840. The creator of the page, student Nick Elsner, said he had classes with the student and wanted to help.
“I just wanted to do something to make the situation a little bit better, make something positive from a bad situation,” he said. Originally the campaign’s goal was to raise just $1,500. But the response was overwhelming. To Nick’s surprise, thousands of dollars and messages of support poured in by the hour.
“Around you the light you carried was so bright no one could light up brighter!” wrote donor Jamie Henderson. “Can’t believe I won’t see that light ever again. We both will truly miss you dearly!”
“What I find heartbreaking is that this young woman did not see or recognize this support sooner,” wrote commenter Susan Campbell Snyder.