Life's too short...

newbie · #1 05-18-2002, 04:28 AM

On Thursday a guy in my school took his own life.

It just feels so eerie and sad...I mean, I sat next to this guy in one of my classes two years ago. I never got to know him well though...he was very quiet. Nevertheless, he seemed nice.

His death just sent shock waves throughout my school. He touched so many people's lives...and that was so evident today walking through the halls of my school. I know his sister, and I just cannot imagine what she is going through, and what his friends are going through.

I guess I just wanted to say, as totally corny as this may sound, that take advantage of life and do what you want to do and tell people whom you love that you love them before it's too late...

I think that this event is really starting to teach me a life lesson...

#2 05-18-2002, 04:45 AM

Awww Car, hun, I'm so sorry to hear about that. I hope there are better days ahead for you, your friend's family, and those at your school. If only he had realized how special he was to those around him...

My thoughts are with you!

DeltAlum · #3 05-18-2002, 12:29 PM

It is so difficult to comprehend why a youth dies.

A young boy in our middle daughters class in middle school committed suicide. Then a young man in our son's high school class did.

For those of us who live in the Denver area, there was Columbine. Our son and his choir went over and sang on the hill in Clement Park overlooking the school the Saturday following. It wasn't a formal or sanctioned thing -- they just felt like they should. It was probably their way of showing compassion, but I also think it was a coping mechanism for them -- something they felt complled to do. Music was their self expression of the sorrow, fear and lack of understanding -- and a way to help themselves deal with it. Not too long later, two Columbine students were shot to death at a local sandwich shop.

We hear so often about young people being killed in car accidents. We hear on this forum of alcohol poisoning and fatal falls from windows, fire escapes, decks and the like.

Naturally, you feel deepest sympathy for the victim's family -- but the hurt and fear go so much deeper. Our kids were profoundly moved by these occurances. Newbie, I'm sure you will be as well. This person wasn't someone you read about in the newspaper -- he was someone you knew. The good news is (I suppose) that the hurt heals reasonably quickly. The person's memory is tucked back in a quiet corner of your mind -- only to be brought out in special moments.

In both of our kids schools, a tree was planted in memory of the fallen classmate. It's a nice rememberance.

Is it any wonder that we parents and advisors are paranoid? The question is, are we paranoid enough? Is there anything we can do to prevent these tragedies?

It's a little trite, but most young people don't give their own vulnerability much thought -- the "I'm bulletproff" feeling.

Please take care of yourselves. You are all too precious to lose.

DeltAlum · #4 05-18-2002, 06:40 PM

The following appeared on AOL on the same day I wrote the post above:

Last Massacre Class Leaves Columbine

By COLLEEN SLEVIN
.c The Associated Press

LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) - Sean Graves spent three years in a wheelchair after being wounded in the Columbine High massacre. But aided by a crutch, he walked across the stage Saturday to receive his diploma as the last class to witness the 1999 rampage graduated.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation. Graves was shot four times, leaving him nearly paralyzed from the waist down, until he began walking short distances with a crutch this year. He was wounded as he stood outside the school with a friend, Daniel Rohrbough, who died in the shootings.

The 450 close-knit graduates received their diplomas at an amphitheater south of Denver. But first they paused to remember two classmates who didn't survive the attack - Steven Curnow and Rohrbough - as well as two students who were killed during an unsolved shooting at a sandwich shop in 2000.

Inside their diplomas, graduates received a second tassel in memory of their fallen classmates.

Principal Frank DeAngelis, the only remaining administrator from the time of the shootings, thanked the class for supporting him the past three years. He apologized because they did not have a ``normal high school life.''

``I truly believe that you have gained strength because of the obstacles that you have had to overcome,'' he said.

There were also signs of a typical graduation. Air horns sounded during the ceremony and one graduate mooned the crowd with a ``Hi Mom'' message.

The graduates lined up along the back of the amphitheater, facing the crowd, as their class song, ``Bittersweet Symphony,'' played on the loudspeaker. Just after they threw their caps in the air, four military jets flew across the sky in formation.

On April 20, 1999, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold opened fire at the school, killing 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.

Ann Marie Hochholter, who graduated two years ago and was paralyzed in the shooting, came to Saturday's ceremony to watch her brother Nathan graduate.

``They're strong kids,'' she said. ``They stuck with it for three more years.''

Dave Hooker, watching his youngest son receive his diploma, also expressed amazement at the graduates' strength.

``They're the ones who said `We are Columbine.' It was their example that inspired the staff and the community,'' said Hooker, whose two sons escaped the rampage unharmed.

Peaches-n-Cream · #5 05-19-2002, 02:08 AM

Newbie,
That's so sad. I'm sorry. The tragedy is that depression is so prevalent and yet so treatable. I hope that your school has set up some type of counseling for your schoolmates.

Hootie · #6 05-19-2002, 02:11 PM

A few years ago my father had a good friend/co-worker take his own life, leaving behind his wife and two kids. Just two weeks ago, the night of prom, the mother killed herself and their daughter came home from prom to find her. Their son is graduating in a week, and the daughter is a junior. How sad! The two of them lost their father and now have no mother. Makes you wonder what goes through people's mind.
Hootie

SigkapAlumWSU · #7 05-19-2002, 05:36 PM

I recently found out that a classmate of mine from High School shot himself 2 weeks ago. He is the first person in my graduating class to die. I never knew him very well, and he wasn't very friendly with many people, but it makes the event no less tragic. My father is a teacher at the high school I attended, and had spoken with him on several occasions, which made this hit home for both of us in a strange way. My father made the comment that it is always so sad and strange when a person's life is taken or ends before their time.