Grief

I don't really feel like blogging today so I'm just going to share the email I sent to the YPS staff around 1:00 AM on Wednesday morning.


YPS Staff:

Tuesday was obviously a horribly tragic and sad day with the death of JJ Vanderheiden. I want to thank the Crisis Committee for how they handled things. Mitch, Aaron, and the entire high school staff held things together in as positive of a fashion as possible.

Thanks to Seward and Centennial for sending over counselors as well. The experts say our young people need as much "normalcy" as possible in times like this even though normalcy is the farthest thing from our mind.

Let's keep an eye out for one another, for kids and adults that might be struggling, and for the family. We will provide whatever guidance and assistance we need to in any of our buildings. We lost Hannah at the Enrichment Center this past fall in the same manner. We've endured other suicides over the years as well. It is always devastating and sad.

Let us help if you need to visit with someone. We will all deal with this differently and none of us are right or wrong. Thank you for what you do and how you do it. Our staff is loved and supported by many, and in return, we can love and support others in times of need.

We will stay together and we will be there for our students and community.