CAIRO — Students returning to class Monday at Washington Middle School in Cairo dealt with the loss of sixth-grade classmate Sarah Radney.

Radney, 11, was killed while sheltering from Hurricane Michael in Seminole County, Ga. after being hit by flying debris.

“She was the life of the party in the classroom,” said Lynn Branch, who taught English and social studies to Radney. “She was always smiling. She was one of those students that I looked forward to seeing every day because she was such a joyful student.”

Students across the school observed Radney’s loss Monday morning with a moment of silence.

People within the community reacted with shock and sadness upon hearing about Radney’s death two weeks ago, but Monday provided the first opportunity for students and teachers to reckon with her loss together.

“The kids were very subdued,” Branch said. “They didn’t quite know what to say. It was very quiet because it was obvious that a person that is very important to our classroom was not there.”

Holly Bagley, who taught math and science to Radney, said students reacted differently upon walking into class.

“Obviously (students are) walking into a classroom where a child has sat with you and now that child is no longer there,” Bagley said. “There were some tears shed today.”

Bagley, who has previously had a student die while she was a high school teacher, described the impact such a loss can have in a classroom setting.

“It changes the whole dynamic of the class,” Bagley said. “It’s almost like starting school over because you’ve got to figure out what ‘normal’ is again.”

Radney was described as intelligent, popular and outgoing. Branch said students enjoyed listening to the stories Radney would share in class.

“I don’t think there was anybody in the classroom who wasn’t her friend,” Branch said. “She could just make everybody laugh. She could make everybody happy.” 

Washington students had not attended class since Oct. 5 due to a combination of fall break and the hurricane. Bagley said the long break may have given some of Radney’s classmates time to come to terms with her death, but that some students would inevitably take her absence harder than others.

Counselors from other schools within Grady County came to Washington to talk to any of Radney’s classmates coping with her death.

“It’s a very tender situation when you’re dealing with a death in a school setting,” said Principal Tilda Brimm. “You want to be able to recognize that the school had a loss and you give the students the opportunity to come (get help) as they need to.”

Radney’s classmates and others who knew her were able to speak to counselors throughout the day as needed.

Radney, an honors student, was involved in the school drama club.

“(Radney) was very committed to being a Washington Tiger,” Brimm said. “It saddened my heart to find out that we had lost her.”

School counselor Danielle Williamson spoke with Brimm during the break to form a “crisis plan” of procedures they would use to address Radney’s loss when school returned.

Several school clubs will focus on projects that will honor Radney’s life.

The school will also have a balloon release Friday to help bring closure to Radney’s classmates.

“We’re really trying to work hard for our students to have some type of closure at Washington Middle School,” Brimm said. “We will celebrate her life and the sprit she brought to the school.”

An earlier balloon release for Radney at Washington was organized by people in the community. Brimm said the second balloon release will be to help students.

Additionally, all Washington students will write a letter at the end of the week in Sarah’s memory expressing their feelings.

“You have to let the children know that it’s OK to be sad,” Branch said. “It’s okay for us to talk about her. We can talk about her with joy and we can talk about her with sadness.”