(Jamaica Observer)Dwight Pennycooke, principal of Wolmer’s Boys’ School, says a snall army of grief counselors and well-wishers have rallied around the school community in the wake of the tragic death of a 15-year-old student on Wednesday morning.
The young Wolmerian, Raheem Shaw, was a member of Form 5R at the Heroes Circle institution. He was reportedly shot dead at home by his father in a case of mistaken identity as his 51-year-old father reportedly mistook him for an intruder.
“The year group supervisor Mrs Carlene Grant has taken it very hard. She is also his teacher, his P.O.B teacher, and it has come as a very heavy blow because they interacted last Friday. As it is right now, we would have done significant grief counselling up to 10:45 am with our fifth form group, and his immediate form, 5R, we have pulled them out for grief counselling,” Pennycooke told OBSERVER ONLINE.
The members of Form 5R have been receiving counselling support from members of the guidance and counselling unit from region one, supported by guidance counsellors from Wolmer’s Girls’ School and St Andrew High School for Girls, Kingston College and Camperdown.
“They have provided excellent grief counselling support. We have some of the young men who have a difficulty processing this. They are still in sessions while those who are doing a little better have returned to classes to give them a little space to think about something different,” the principal said.
Pennycooke praised the Wolmer’s Old Boys Association whose members have provided invaluable support to the young student population.
“They mobilized this morning and a number of them came by and those who could actually assist with counselling, they have done so, and they have been there for the younger Wolmerians,” Pennycooke said.
This is the second Wolmerian who has died in the last five months. In May, David Minott, a Wolmer’s Boys’ High School student, drowned during a beach trip at the Sommerset Falls in Hope Bay, Portland on Sunday.
“We are still grappling with the loss of David Minott and so this now is yet another blow for this year group, a different class but the same year group.” he said.
The tragic death mirrors that of Pia Phillips, an Immaculate High School head girl, who was allegedly shot accidentally on November 1 2008 by her father, a licensed firearm holder, when he ran from the house to protect his wife and daughter from the men who had accosted them.
Phillips, who celebrated her 18th birthday the same day, had reportedly just arrived home with her mother from choir practice when the tragedy unfolded. Police reports are that Phillips and other family members were about to enter the house when two gunmen alighted from a car and demanded that they come to them.
Scared, the victims reportedly screamed and ran towards the house. Phillips’ father, who was inside the house, pulled his gun and rushed to the defence of his family. However, he allegedly slipped and the gun went off, hitting Phillips in her abdomen.