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Polytech High School in Woodside is one of the most prestigious high schools in Kent County, having to turn away several of the students who clamor to get in.
As Principal Dr. Bruce Curry puts it, he could easily fill another school with 1,200 students.
The Panthers enjoy a good school climate and strong school spirit, he said.
Therefore, the two apparent suicides of two Polytech students this week and the third since the New Year are beyond the comprehension of members of Polytech’s community. In a word, it is inexplicable. Each of the students had a lot going for them, with plenty of friends as evidenced by numerous Facebook and Twitter posts.
Now, students and staff are reeling in the face of tragedy.
“A big football player put his arm around me – and I’m a little guy – and said, ‘Dr. Curry, are you OK?’” Curry told parents at Saturday’s meeting, one of three held in the wake of this tragedy. “What does that say? The students recognize that the adults are struggling too.
“We’re going to be stronger after this,” he said. “We have a strong school, a strong basis. The kids and staff are strong. In difficult circumstances, you can fall apart or you can be stronger and build. We’re thinking the latter.”
This week, Sam Comegys and Nick Capetola died. Tegan Deanna Penney died last month.
Polytech freshman Nicole Matzuras, of Smyrna, attended her high school’s Saturday morning meeting with her mother, Robin Matzuras. Her somber countenance said it all.
“I’m a little emotional right now and I’m very heartbroken,” Nicole Matzuras said.
“She knew Nick,” Robin Matzuras said. “She used to sit next to him on the class or on the bus and all that. I know she wants to go to his funeral on Monday. I’m going to go with her.”
Polytech junior Khadijah Martin, also of Smyrna, was very upset, particularly with the news of Capetola’s death. Then, Sam Comegys’ death just exacerbated her emotional state.
“I was crying for about three days straight,” she said. “I saw [Nick] Friday. That was the last time I saw him.”
Frank Rivera, of Dover, has a son, DeMarcus, who is a freshman at Polytech. Rivera’s son noticed that a girl who had dated Capetola had been crying a lot. While that is natural, he told his son to keep an eye on her.
Polytech High School in Woodside is one of the most prestigious high schools in Kent County, having to turn away several of the students who clamor to get in.
As Principal Dr. Bruce Curry puts it, he could easily fill another school with 1,200 students.
The Panthers enjoy a good school climate and strong school spirit, he said.
Therefore, the two apparent suicides of two Polytech students this week and the third since the New Year are beyond the comprehension of members of Polytech’s community. In a word, it is inexplicable. Each of the students had a lot going for them, with plenty of friends as evidenced by numerous Facebook and Twitter posts.
Now, students and staff are reeling in the face of tragedy.
“A big football player put his arm around me – and I’m a little guy – and said, ‘Dr. Curry, are you OK?’” Curry told parents at Saturday’s meeting, one of three held in the wake of this tragedy. “What does that say? The students recognize that the adults are struggling too.
“We’re going to be stronger after this,” he said. “We have a strong school, a strong basis. The kids and staff are strong. In difficult circumstances, you can fall apart or you can be stronger and build. We’re thinking the latter.”
This week, Sam Comegys and Nick Capetola died. Tegan Deanna Penney died last month.
Polytech freshman Nicole Matzuras, of Smyrna, attended her high school’s Saturday morning meeting with her mother, Robin Matzuras. Her somber countenance said it all.
“I’m a little emotional right now and I’m very heartbroken,” Nicole Matzuras said.
“She knew Nick,” Robin Matzuras said. “She used to sit next to him on the class or on the bus and all that. I know she wants to go to his funeral on Monday. I’m going to go with her.”
Polytech junior Khadijah Martin, also of Smyrna, was very upset, particularly with the news of Capetola’s death. Then, Sam Comegys’ death just exacerbated her emotional state.
“I was crying for about three days straight,” she said. “I saw [Nick] Friday. That was the last time I saw him.”
Frank Rivera, of Dover, has a son, DeMarcus, who is a freshman at Polytech. Rivera’s son noticed that a girl who had dated Capetola had been crying a lot. While that is natural, he told his son to keep an eye on her.
“Grieving is part of the process,” he said. “I told him, look out for your friends. They’re all good kids.”
It is impossible to explain how young students with a lot going for them could take their lives since suicide is a very complex phenomenon, said Dr. Harvey Doppelt, one of the state counselors brought into Polytech to help the school pick up the pieces.
Often, young people in distress get tunnel vision and they cannot see that there is another option available to them besides the drastic, tragic action of suicide, said Doppelt, director of specialized services for the Delaware Division of Prevention & Behavioral Health Services.
“It is unexplainable,” he said. “We want to ask the person why and we can’t. We will never know.”
