Fairbanks school officials are working to help district students cope with the loss of a class mate.
Blake Gorton, 16, an 11th-grade student at Fairbanks High School died Saturday night as a result of a one-vehicle crash.
“Such a tragic loss affects us all,” Fairbanks High School Principal Janel Chapman wrote in a letter to parents Sunday. “In Fairbanks, we support each other, in particular during times of sadness. Over the coming days, let’s continue to take care of each other.”
District officials said they are “hurting for the Gorton family, Blake’s friends, and those connected to him.”
“This is a very difficult time for students. Please continue to talk with your child and share any needs you may have,” Fairbanks Superintendent Adham Schirg wrote.
He said the district will make counselors available “for anyone that would need personal support or would like to come together.”
“Our staff and community partners are available to support students and families over the coming days,” Schirg wrote.
Chapman said that in addition to the counselors, the media center will be available for students to gather.
“As the week progresses, we will have additional on site support as needed,” Chapman wrote.
She told parents that if a student requests to go home, officials will be “in direct communication with parents prior to release.”
Schirg added that, “our staff and community partners are available to support students and families over the coming days.”
While the district is “respectfully requesting privacy for the family,” officials have said parents need to be involved with grieving students.
“It is important for you to talk with your child about their feelings of grief, even if it is difficult,” Schirg wrote. “The best way to help is to listen and be reassuring.”
He told parents that death “can cause many different feelings and have a profound effect on students.”
The superintendent encouraged parents not to minimize a student’s pain or deny their feelings and to realize that teenagers move in and out of the grief process.
“Encourage them to be active and celebrate life in a safe way in order to take a break from their intense feelings, to maintain health, and to encourage recovery,” Schirg wrote.
School officials also provided additional resources to help parents. The district made sure parents had a link to the Union County Critical Incident Stress Management parent resource for children dealing with trauma and grief. Officials also asked that parents who believe their child needs immediate help call Nationwide Children’s Hospital at (614) 722-1800 or Maryhaven at (937) 644-9192. Maryhaven has walk-in crisis hours from 8 a.m. to midnight during the week and from and 5 p.m. to midnight on the weekends.
“If it is an emergency, call 911 or go to an Emergency Department,” Schirg wrote.
He added that “It is our hope that we can work together to meet the needs of our students throughout this difficult time.”
According to a report from the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, at 10:58 p.m., Saturday, Gorton was driving a 2024 Chevrolet Silverado, southwest on U.S. 36 near Connor Road in Union County.
The report said a preliminary investigation revealed Gorton “crossed the center line and traveled off the left side of the roadway.”
“The Silverado struck a guardrail end causing it overturn as it continued down an embankment and became submerged in Treacle Creek,” according to the report.
“Gorton succumbed to fatal injuries as a result of the crash,” according to the report.
Lance Emberling, lead investigator with the Union County Coroners Office, said the office is “waiting on autopsy results” to determine if Gorton died as a result of injuries from the crash or drowned as a result of being submerged in the creek.
Emberling said the crash is “still under investigation.”
Officials from the H Highway Patrol confirmed “the crash remains under investigation.”
In addition to the Union County Coroner’s Office, the Union County Sheriff’s Office as well as Marysville Division of Fire and the Mechanicsburg Fire Department assisted the patrol at the scene.