Kadena High School is operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. (Brian McElhiney/Stars and Stripes)
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — A Kadena High School student died Monday in a vehicle accident that injured another student at the home of the 18th Wing.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families impacted by this tragic incident,” Brig. Gen. Nicholas Evans, 18th Wing commander, said in a statement emailed Wednesday. “During this difficult time, we encourage everyone to take care of one another and offer support where it’s needed.”
Details surrounding the incident are under investigation, the wing’s spokeswoman, Maj. Alli Stormer, wrote in the email.
“Due to the nature of this incident, we will not provide further information,” she said.
The other student involved attends Kubasaki High School at nearby Camp Foster, a Marine Corps base, said Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific spokeswoman Miranda Ferguson.
“Out of respect for the students and their families, we will not be releasing the students’ names,” she wrote in an email Wednesday.
The Kadena student’s death was first announced by Jeff Cherry, the school’s assistant principal, in an email to parents on Tuesday.
“Our students and staff are grieving the loss of a member of our school community,” he wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to Stars and Stripes. “Please know we have additional counselors on site today and will continue to have additional counseling support as long as necessary to support students in need.”
Teachers were instructed to read a statement to students in their classrooms on Tuesday morning informing them about the death and the availability of crisis counselors at the school, according to the letter.
The letter asked parents to watch their children for “abnormal reactions,” including continued rejection of support; withdrawal from family, friends and social activities; declining grades or loss of interest in school; inability to express feelings about the death; a sense of helplessness, hopelessness or emptiness; sudden new fears; loss of self-esteem or self-concept; disturbance in sleep patterns or recurring nightmares; or a preoccupation with death.
Parents were also advised to contact school counselors or psychologists if those signs or symptoms persist longer than one week.
Other available resources include Family Health, Family Services, Mental Health, a social worker, a religious leader or chaplain, or a Military Family Life counselor, Cherry wrote.
