Spring Lake classmates and families remember Chance Nash

Mon, Jan 4, 2010    to del.icio.us

SPRING LAKE — It was a somber afternoon Saturday at Spring Lake Intermediate School when students and families took time to remember Chance Nash, the 11-year-old Nunica boy who died following a sledding accident on Dec. 31.

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"They were just fabulous," Jennifer Schippers — who was there with her 9-year-old son, Billy — said of the support session. "They spoke very nicely and offered any and all help."

Schippers and her son, who said Nash was able to make everyone laugh, were just one of the many families who attended a special grief session at the school Saturday afternoon to help those who were close to Nash get through the boy's sudden death.

"I think the event served its purpose quite well," said Dennis Furton, superintendent of Spring Lake Public Schools, who estimated that 50 children came to the school with their families on Saturday to meet with support counselors.

While at the emergency session, students could receive support from counselors, talk with fellow classmates and even sign a card for the Nash family.

"He was in my class this year and I have known him since first grade," said 10-year-old Addison Lindsey. Lindsey was at the event with two friends: Tanner Rose, 10; and Emily Ross, 11.

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While each student said they knew Nash for a different length of time, all were apparently affected by his death. Each said they have talked with their parents for support and thought the counseling session was a good idea.

For teachers in the Spring Lake Public Schools district, the grieving process was just as difficult.

Kathy VanderMeulen, a third-grade teacher at Jeffers Elementary School, said the process of dealing with a student's death is emotional since there is an attachment that develops during their time in the classroom.

"They're like one of your own," she said.

VanderMeulen said when students return to the classroom following the death of fellow students, teachers have to be as supportive as they can.

While VanderMeulen wasn't Nash's teacher, she was familiar with the family since she was the teacher of his two siblings.

As students return to school today after their holiday break, there will also be tools in place to make sure they get the help that they need. After today, Furton said school officials will keep an ear open in case students need additional help.

"We'll continue to have counseling today and as long as we need to," Furton said.

While teachers and administrators in all buildings in the school district have been made aware of the situation, the focus will be on Spring Lake Intermediate School, where Nash was a fifth-grade student.

"They know that they have a role to play and they play it well," Furton said.

According to the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, Nash was sledding at Grand Haven's Duncan Memorial Park on Dec. 31 when he hit a log or post and suffered internal injuries. He was taken to the nearby North Ottawa Community Hospital and later transferred to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, where he died shortly after 9 that evening.