By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Monday morning was a difficult one for students and staff members at Brandywine Elementary School, according to Principal Tim Bagby.
On Saturday evening, 12-year-old Michael Soyk, a fifth grade student at Brandywine, was killed after being struck by a vehicle on South 11th Street near Bell Road. A 51-year-old male pedestrian, Michael Martin, accompanying Soyk was also struck and remains in critical condition at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Ind.
"Any tragic event is going to be hard for everyone. We're dealing with this the best way we know how," Bagby said Monday afternoon.
School administration learned of Soyk's death Sunday and immediately began preparations for students on Monday.
"We contacted all of the families in his class Sunday to let them know what was going on and that we would have grief counselors at the school first thing Monday morning," Bagby said.
Between 40 and 50 students gathered Monday morning to make bracelets and cards for Soyk and his family. Counselors from the school and from Lory's Place in St. Joseph were on hand to talk with students, Bagby said.
"All of our students are sad, but I think it's really affecting the fifth graders, especially the students in his class and the ones who were close to him or lived by him. Going from having someone there on Friday to not being there anymore Monday is pretty frightening for the students, but I know that our counselors and Lory's Place will do a great job helping our students through this tough time," Bagby said.
He added that the school has used Lory's Place, an organization focused on providing grief assistance to children, in the past for students who have encountered situations such as dealing with a death in the family or any other tragic events.
"For some students, this is their first encounter with someone dying. For others, it may bring back old feelings from recent losses in their own families. That's why counselors play such a big role in events like this," Bagby said.
He added that the school and students will provide as much assistance as possible for the Soyk family.
"We want to help in any way possible. We are going to find out what their needs are and let people of the community know. It's going to be tough for a while and we want to show as much support as we can to both the students and to Michael's family," Bagby added.
Soyk was a student in Dawn Brovold's classroom. Attempts to contact her Monday were unsuccessful.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Alcohol did not appear to be a factor for the driver, a 23-year-old female from the Niles area.