A student from MEI Secondary in Abbotsford died yesterday (Friday) during a ski trip to Whistler.
Vijay Manuel, head of MEI Schools, posted a statement online, indicating that 11 students and two staff who are members of the MEI Secondary Ski and Snowboard Club were on the trip.
He said that one student went missing in the afternoon, resulting in a search by Whistler personnel.
“The results of the search led to the devastating news that our student had died,” Manuel wrote in his post.
On Saturday, Manuel said students from all grades (kindergarten to grade 12) were welcome to come to the secondary school with their families to speak with grief counselors and pray together.
The identity, gender and age of the deceased is not being shared at this time.
“There’s a lot of questions but for us right now, it’s all about care for our people,” he told The News.
Monday grief counselors will be on hand at the school, as well as on-call teachers to assist secondary teachers with their duties.
“It’s just a moment in time where, as we process how this family is going to address this, this void and this loss, for us, we’re just going to care for each other,” he said. “And what we do is we cry out to God for help.”
Manuel said he has already been touched by several people reaching out and offering help, including the principal of Abbotsford Senior – where two students were stabbed and one killed in November. He said he has also heard from Education Minister Mike Bernier and Abbotsford school district superintendent Kevin Godden.
