She was my student... R.I.P. Selina...

Well, I am actually kind of sad to think that this day is the one that FINALLY gives me something to write about... But I need to talk. Today there was a tragedy that really hit home for me in our town. It happened at 1 something in the afternoon. A girl that was in my first homeroom, and who has had trouble at home for MANY MANY years, committed suicide. She hung herself with a telephone cord in her bedroom closet.

She dropped out of school this year but often talked to me on MSN and on the phone about missing biology and wanting to return to school. Last time we chatted was even Thursday evening. She had missed some school in November because she had talked about wanting to commit suicide and was shipped to Kuujjuaq to get some help. Unfortunately the SYSTEM has lots of flaws and no matter how many times she cried out for help, how many times the student counsellor, her teachers or the VP tried to contact her family, social services and youth protection to get her the assistance she needed, it just failed her.

I gotta be honest. I am mad, sad, disappointed, hurt and worried all in one. I am mad that there are more kids than just her who are SO brilliant but who are living in conditions and situations that are unjust. I am sad because she was one of those shining stars in my first class and that I had such high hopes for... she was sooooo bright, she was a fighter for what she believed in, she was- I THOUGHT- strong, for having lived with so much hurt but for having been open in calling for help. I am disappointed that we (at the school) just couldn't fix everything that she was going through. I am hurt because I will miss her a lot, she and I had a special bond. She was so kind and friendly and open with me, and I could tell she knew that I had her back. It just wasn't enough. I am worried, because she isn't the only one who lives a life of misery, she was the most vocal too, and willing to talk, and I am sure there are so many other lost students from whom we don't know how bad it really is for them.

What can I say...