WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren OhioBeaver Local Schools cope with four deaths

Beaver Local Schools cope with four deaths

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio - In a span of just two days, traffic accidents have taken the lives of a teacher at Beaver Local High School and three former students.

Administrators have taken special steps to help students and staff cope with the tragedy.

Instead of the traditional happy holidays wish, the sign outside the high school displays a tribute to science teacher Carie Harris who died in a traffic accident on Sunday.

Inside the school there are more tributes to Mrs. Harris as well as three former students who died in a crash on Monday; Ceara Burns who graduated just last year, Joshua Carlin and Jonathan Welsh.

Grief counselors and clergy were at the school on Monday following Harris's death, but were held over when Superintendent Kent Polen received sadder news that evening.

"Then I received a phone call Monday evening about the other students, so we continued it on Tuesday and opened it up to the whole community," Polen said. "If people needed to come in to see the counselors we let them know that it was available to them also."

Principal Tom Cunningham says whether it's talking to someone or writing a message, it's important for the students to be able to express what they are feeling.

"Just the kids being able to talk, grieve and express their feelings and it's actually just a really good healing process for a lot of the students here," Cunningham said.

Services for three of the victims will be Friday and the school will make schedule adjustments for those who wish to attend.

Mrs. Harris was very active with the student council food drive, and it is now being re-named the Carie Harris Memorial Food Drive in her honor.