Friday, March 19, 1999
Kindergartners talk about death
Vehicle struck their classmate as he chased ball
BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NORWOOD — Kindergartners talked about death Thursday at Sharpsburg Primary School, drawing on a child's memories of losing a pet or a grandparent to help them now with the loss of a classmate.
Sharpsburg students and staff mourned 6-year-old Shawn Stephens, who was killed Wednesday afternoon when he darted into traffic while chasing a ball. They remembered the child who “always had a smile on his face,” and had just mastered writing his last name, said Eula Jamieson, his teacher.
“He was loved by all the kids in the room,” she said. “When he came back in November after the family moved away for about three weeks, they all cheered.”
Kindergartners drew pictures showing something fun they remembered doing with Shawn. The pictures will be saved in the classroom, to be pulled out whenever sadness over Shawn's death wells up.
Teachers and counselors met before classes began Thursday to prepare to help students, said principal Claire Kubiak. An area was set up for counselors to meet privately with students who wanted to talk.
Two of Shawn's brothers — Nathan, a second-grader, and Tony, a fifth-grader — attend Sharpsburg Primary and Sharpsburg Elementary School, which share a campus.
The accident occurred about 3:40 p.m. Shawn was in his front yard with his father, near the corner of Pine and Norwood roads. Cars were backed up on westbound Norwood from a four-way stop farther down the street, said Norwood Police Sgt. Shirel Loomis.
Shawn was playing with a small ball. His father, Tony Stephens, was checking the oil in his car.
Shawn chased the ball between stopped cars and into moving eastbound traffic, said Sgt. Loomis, and was struck by a car driven by Herbert Mickenberg, 72, of Deer Park.
Investigation of the accident continues. No charges have been filed.
Shawn is survived by: his parents, Tony and Terri Stephens of Norwood; a sister, Melissa of Newport; four brothers, Anthony of Newport, Tony and Nathan of Norwood, and Ricky Johnson of Norwood; and his maternal grandmother, Theresa Swaim of Newport.
Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Sunday. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Monday. Both will be at the Muehlenkamp Erschell Middendorf Bullock Funeral Home, 835 York St., Newport. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Money to help the Stephens family with funeral expenses may be donated to the Shawn Stephens Fund at any Firstar Bank.
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