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A Whiteland High School announced the death of one of its students on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, leaving Johnson County devastated. The unfortunate incident took place at the Whiteland Community High School (WCHS) in Indiana on Tuesday morning, when a 15-year-old student died after drowning during physical education class.
In its message to the community, the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation (CPCSC) stated:
"It is with great sadness that we inform you that a WCHS student has passed away following a medical emergency at the high school this morning. At this time school and emergency officials are trying to determine exactly what happened."
The news was later confirmed by Johnson County Coroner, Michael Pruitt, who stated that a female had been pulled from the swimming pool at the high school.
Whiteland High School dismissed classes early on Tuesday, canceled school on Wednesday
In his statement, Coroner Michael Pruitt added that the name of the Whiteland High School student is being withheld after a request from her family.
In a follow-up email to parents, the Indiana high school authorities explained that the incident took place during their gym class and "despite the efforts of (their) staff and emergency responders" to help the teenager, she passed away. They added that the "circumstances surrounding her death" are currently being investigated.
Students were dismissed early on Tuesday just after midday and the school announced that it would remain closed on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. However, they added that grief counselors and other resources were available for students on both days. The CPCSC added:
"Words fall short in expressing the grief and sorrow our entire school community is experiencing at this moment."
Additionally, in their email update, Whiteland High School staff provided tips to help their "child cope with grief," which included having an honest and truthful conversation, being patient, providing affection, and maintaining regular routines. Regular classes will reportedly resume on Thursday.
Concluding its message, the WCHS stated that memorial service information would be provided later and asked everyone to keep keep the student and her friends and family in their thoughts.
The tragic death of the 15-year-old Whiteland High School student is not the only one that occurred recently
A New Jersey high school senior, Lauren Hewski, died in a car crash a little while after receiving her degree from Brookdale Community College. According to NBC New York, the 18-year-old earned her associate's degree as part of the high school's early college academy program and was on her way to meet her parents for a "celebratory lunch."
The incident took place in on Thursday, May 11, 2023, near Colts Neck around 12:30 pm. Hewski was pronounced dead on the scene, while the driver, her boyfriend, was rushed to a local hospital.
She was set to attend the Maxwell School at Syracuse University to study political science and public policy. The teenager's parents set up a GoFundMe page where they stated that they would set up a namesake foundation, Lauren's Light, to help other women follow in her footstep.
