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October 21, 2008

Counselors help students cope after girl’s death

By Raymond Billy

rbilly@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Counselors in the Jacksonville Independent School District were busy Tuesday tending to students after the death of an 11-year-old girl who attended Nichols Intermediate School.

Cheyenne Stevenson died Monday about an hour after being struck by a motorist while walking home from a friend’s house. The incident took place about 7:30 p.m. on Farm-to-Market Road 747.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Tyson Metzig said no negligence was involved in what he called a tragic accident. He said the driver, a 17-year-old Jacksonville High School student, will not be charged in the incident.

Although the JHS student is not being faulted in Stevenson’s death, he is having a difficult time coping with what happened, according to Lisa Mehlenbacher, a counselor at the school.

“It was an accident and he’s very shaken up,” she said. “I called him on his cell phone this morning and he said he wanted to meet with me. His parents said he was in shock all night.”

Seven counselors have been dispatched to the intermediate school to comfort the students there. Several of the students were aware of Stevenson’s death before arriving to school Tuesday, but others were informed by the counselors, said Tammy Jones, the school’s principal.

“We’ve brought counselors in from across the district who will come in to speak to students as they need,” Jones said. “We will decide in the coming days what we want to do as far as memorializing Cheyenne.

“She was a sweet girl and we’re obviously heartbroken to lose her,” Jones said.

Jones said a number of counselors have also been sent to West Side Elementary School, where Stevenson went to school before starting at Nichols.

Mehlenbacher she can’t recall ever dealing as a counselor with a situation like this involving two students.

“We’ve dealt with losing teenagers before and the aftermath of that is always painful,” she said. “But a situation of this nature is rare.”

Mehlenbacher said she doesn’t know when the driver in the incident will return to class, but she said she is prepared to have regular sessions with him as long as he needs them.

“I will tell him he’s more than welcome to come in daily,” she said. “He’s comfortable with me and he knows I’m here for him.

“Also, we’ll recommend he gets help outside of the school system if that would help. He also attends a local Baptist church and I’m sure the youth minister there will try to contact him as well. He has support in the community,” she said.

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