Dear Wolverines,
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that one of our elementary students, Hayden Juelfs, was killed in a single car accident last night. Our condolences and thoughts go out to the family and friends of Hayden. In talking with his teacher, Tonya Carstens, "Hayden was the sweetest boy. He was kind and a friend to everyone." She never heard him complain about anything, and she fondly reflects how he was the last one out the door to the bus. Hayden will be missed and also remembered with great affection.
We will offer support services for all of our students and staff during this time as our community grieves the loss of Hayden and processes the tragic news. Our counselor, Chauntelle Geary, will be available today at the Correctionville building for students who want to come in today until 3:45pm. We will also have counselors and clergy available tomorrow, Tuesday, November 17 to offer support. Tomorrow will be a difficult day, but we will get through it together. We will try to offer a school routine to bring some normalcy but also allow students opportunities to grieve when needed.
A young person’s death is always tragic, and a sudden loss like this can have profound effects on students. Your child may be coming home with questions and worries about this loss. We have enclosed a document from Peter’s Place, A Center for Grieving Children and Families, which has some suggestions that may prove helpful to you as you discuss Hayden’s death. Please feel free to contact the school if you have issue you would like to discuss.
I know you join me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to Hayden’s family.
Respectfully,
Kenneth Slater
Superintendent