BY RAY SCHAEFER
Enquirer Contributor
FORT MITCHELL -- Junior high and high school students received information Monday on coping with grief after the death of a 16-year-old student at the Beechwood Independent School District.
A two-page statement written by Superintendent Fred Bassett and Mike Downer, a psychologist with Comprehensive Care Center of Covington, was given to seventh- through 12th-grade students. Mr. Bassett said counselors were available to children and parents Monday and would be available again today in the school library.
The actions were taken after the 16-year-old boy , who is not being named, was found dead of what Fort Mitchell police described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was a junior on the Beechwood High School football team.
"(The student) was a close personal friend to many of the kids," Mr. Bassett said. "We're trying to provide support for our students." The statement included a Fort Mitchell Police Department press release on the death and a list of physical, mental and emotional ways students may react to the situation.
Reactions may include fatigue and insomnia, difficulty in concentration or problem-solving and feelings of fear, guilt, anger or depression.
"These are normal reactions, and although painful, are part of the healing process," the statement read. "There's not a lot anyone can do to make you not experience these uncomfortable feelings, but there are things you can do to feel more whole."
The statement also listed 16 possible remedies, including: Strenuous physical exercise and relaxation within the first 48 hours; sharing feelings with others; keeping a journal; avoiding making any major life changes; and supplementing the diet with vitamins C, B2 and B6, calcium and magnesium.
Mr. Bassett also said elementary school teachers would be talking to their students and providing the same information if needed.
