MORENCI, Mich. — The entire Morenci, Michigan, community has been mourning together since 16-year-old Cayden Cook died in a fatal crash on Thursday.
The Morenci Area Schools on Friday brought in social workers from nearby school districts, including the Lenawee Intermediate School District, and a therapy dog to assist and support students.
Superintendent Jennifer Ellis said the school district's crisis intervention team, along with counselors, were also there for staff members.
Morenci school counselor Daiton Lemmon said assisting students in their grieving process helped him process the loss of Cook.
"Everyone here is really close-knit and tight and so just to hear that we lost someone so soon, I couldn't find a way to contain my emotions. It just overtook me because it's just something you don't expect," Lemmon said.
Cook is not the first student death to impact the school district, which is why leaders knew the first step was to focus on the mental health of the whole community.
"If we don't have the ability to take breaks, because we can lean on other people, we are not as useful if we don't have those opportunities," Lemmon said.
Ellis encouraged other schools to start making a network of support among their neighboring school districts for the tragedies that are too sudden to plan for.
She said creating these opportunities can only improve the mental health of those impacted.
"Grief is a complex emotion that goes on for quite some time and has many different phases, so right now you may not feel you need that support, but a couple of weeks from now after you have had an opportunity to process those resources can be very helpful," Ellis said.
Ellis said the school will continue to offer the resources up until the funeral on Friday.