Suicides of Two Girls at Same High School over Weekend Shocks Kansas Community
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iStock/Thinkstock(OLATHE, Kan.) — A Kansas high school is grieving after the suicides of two 16-year-old girls just days apart, prompting school officials to urge parents to “have a heartfelt conversation” with fellow students about the tragedies.
Ciara Webb was found dead at her home in Olathe, Kansas on Friday, and her friend and teammate on the school’s soccer team, Cady Housh, was killed Sunday evening after she stepped in front of a train in nearby Lexana. Both teenagers were juniors at Olathe Northwest High School.
While news of the first suicide began to spread over the weekend, most students and school officials didn’t find out about the second suicide until Monday, according to the Kansas City Star.
“A lot of kids went home,” sophomore Samyak Badkul told the newspaper. “The mood was just [somber] — nobody making jokes. Even teachers were very calm and quiet.”
Principal Gwen Poss sent out a letter on Monday to students’ families informing them of the tragedies and urging parents to “have a heartfelt conversation with your son or daughter this evening.”
Students were told about Ciara’s death during the first period, and after school officials learned of Cady’s death, students were told during the second period, Poss said in the letter. “After that announcement many additional students sought out the support and counsel from our crisis team of qualified personnel,” the principal wrote.
“Care was taken to ensure any student that was leaving campus had a parent with them or they were in direct contact with their parents,” Poss added.
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