Southern Boone County students mourn classmate
Students and faculty are mourning the loss of a 17-year-old Southern Boone County High School student, who police say threatened the high school via text message then killed himself when police arrived at his home.
School on Tuesday in all Southern Boone County District schools was canceled because of the threat.
Classes were back in session on Wednesday and extra counselors were available for students and staff.
School administration discussed the incident with students according to grade level. School leaders brought up topics including suicide prevention, hopeless feelings, bullying and what to do if someone receives a threat.
“We are just trying to help kids get through this,” said superintendent Chris Felmlee.
Many students wore yellow shirts in remembrance of their classmate and to promote suicide awareness and prevention.
“The kids thought of it themselves,” said Felmlee. “I thought it was a respectful way to deal with the situation that we’re dealing with and there’s a lot of support.”
Some students told ABC 17 News that the student who killed himself was bullied at times by others and did not have many friends. However, one classmate said “he was still a good person and a lot of people cared about him.”
September is National Suicide Awareness Month and yesterday, the day of the student’s death, was National Suicide Awareness Day. The month and day are promoted by the World Health Organization are dedicated to spreading the message about suicide awareness and prevention.
