On Sunday evening (Aug. 9), several hundred people gathered to mourn a former Orange County High School student who died as a result of a horrific car crash last week and pray for the recovery of the five other young people, four of them current OCHS students, who were badly injured in a head-on collision on Constitution Highway (Route 20) near Burr Hill in Orange County. The candlelight prayer gathering at Booster Park in Orange was solemn and moving, with speakers exhorting audience members to have faith in God and love one another.
The gathering’s organizer, Arielle Milen of Unionville, welcomed the group that quietly assembled at the park’s pavilion: “We are here to surround these families with love, to remember the precious life that was lost, to pray for those who were injured and to pray for everyone whose lives have been forever changed.” She then invited members of the audience to step forward and say a few words.
The first to do so was an OCHS student and member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He read Psalm 23 to the group and then discussed its meaning to him. He said, “When God is with you, love, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, goodness—that is the Holy Spirit. That is what the Lord God brings. So I encourage you today to walk through the valley, not with fear, not with darkness. I encourage you to walk through the valley with God, knowing that he will get you through it.”
Later in the evening, as night fell, three other OCHS students stood together on the pavilion steps. Each one gave heartfelt testimony and encouraged the audience to be strong in their faith. It was clear that all four of the students who spoke were deeply shaken by the fatal car crash but felt compelled to speak in hopes of helping others find solace.
Others who spoke included the older brother of the driver of the F150 pickup truck struck by a 2016 Jetta in the collision Thursday afternoon. He said that his brother has a long road of recovery ahead of him but that neither his brother nor anyone in their family bore any animosity toward the others involved in the collision. “We all understand accidents happen, and nothing can go back and change what happened.”
He stood alongside the sister of one of the Jetta’s passengers, and when she sat down on the steps due to the emotion she was feeling, he joined her. The two had not known each other before the collision, but the young woman said that in the passage of just a few days their families had grown close. She spoke of her brother with great love. When commenting on his sense of humor, her sadness momentarily lifted and she looked out at the crowd and smiled.
The girl who died in the collision belonged to a church in Trevilians. Her minister told the audience that she had accepted Jesus as her savior just a month and a day before her death. With grace and conviction, he urged the mourners to take comfort in knowing she has begun her eternal life.
Other ministers who spoke included Pastor Philip Hong of Trinity United Methodist Church in Orange, Pastor Pam Edelman of the Orange Church of the Nazarene, Rev. Lindsay Wiles, minister of youth at Orange Baptist Church, and the Rev. Kyle Clements. Community leaders in the crowd included Supervisor Crystal Coleman, Orange Mayor J. Harrison Cluff, and school board members Darlene Dawson and Rod Hawkins.
Virginia State Police: No charges expected to be filed; two persons in critical condition
In the midst of all the pain and grief, the Virginia State Police’s investigation of the crash continues. A VSP media contact, Matthew Demlein, told Byrd Street via email, “Charges are not expected to be placed at this time.” As for the medical conditions of those injured, he wrote, “The driver of the pickup and a passenger in the Jetta remain in critical condition. The other passengers in the Jetta continue to recover.”
During the candlelight prayer gathering, a couple of the speakers reminded everyone to wear their seatbelts. In response to my inquiry, Demlein said that the driver of the Jetta, who perished, was wearing her seatbelt. He did not know the seatbelt status of the Jetta’s passengers or the driver of the pickup truck.
School division leaders reflect on tragedy and its aftermath
In the days right after the collision, I spoke with school board members Dawson and Hawkins, and traded emails with OCHS Principal Nick Sodano. Dawson, chair of the board, said that she first learned about the crash via text message from Superintendent Dr. Daniel P. Hornick to all school board members on Thursday afternoon shortly after the crash occurred. She said Hornick kept the board informed throughout the day.
Early Friday morning, Dawson attended a meeting at the high school that Sodano had called for staff. As students began arriving for the school day, she saw them congregating around the flagpole to pray with members of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Dawson said the impromptu gathering of about 200 students “was very quiet, very respectful, very somber. I don’t know the names of the young men who were praying, but they were doing a wonderful job of prayer and just offering a chance for the community to come together and share our sorrow and and our hope for those who are injured and now fighting through all of that.”
Sodano called the prayer meeting on the school lawn “incredibly moving.” He wrote, “Seeing students, staff, families and community members come together to pray and support one another was a powerful reminder of how deeply this has affected our school community. Our students are processing the tragedy in a variety of ways, and there were many hugs, tears and words of concern for classmates. I have been incredibly proud of the way our students and staff have supported and cared for one another.”
Darlene Dawson: “All that we can do is pray to get through it and to learn from it”
When I asked Dawson how she would help lead the school community forward in the aftermath of this shocking event, she said, “My take on it, because I am a person of faith, is that we live in a fallen world, and horrible things happen every day to all kinds of people. And we can’t stop that. All that we can do is pray to get through it and to learn from it and to support those now who are left in the wake of this horrific accident—the family of the deceased, plus the families of the injured, and then the broader community. On so many levels, this impacts so many of us. And so we have to take courage and have hope and look at it as one of those terrible tragedies that we wish we could go back and undo, but we can’t.”
In my conversation with Hawkins, he reflected on his 42 years of teaching in the Orange County schools. “I’ve seen a lot of bad things happen, and it never gets any easier. Anytime you lose a young life in any circumstances, it’s just really hard. And it is really tough for everybody to deal with, but especially the peers, the kids themselves. You know, they have a lot of tough questions they ask.”
He said that he’s heard from colleagues that students are asking why terrible things like the car crash happen. “I’ll tell you what, from my experience in all those years, you really don’t have to say much. You just need to be a good listener and just let them talk to you and get it off their chest, what they’re feeling. But I know they had counselors in different parts of the school who talked to any of the kids in need.”
Both Dawson and Hawkins commented on the dangers of Constitution Highway, which runs from Orange to Locust Grove and has long been the site of fatal crashes and other devastating collisions. Dawson called it “a terrible road with so many tragedies like this that have happened on it.”
Hawkins, a former OCHS driver’s education teacher, who also taught at Prospect Heights Middle school and coached generations of local middle school and high school athletes, said the traffic light at routes 522 and 20 has helped prevent collisions, but to cut down on dangerous passing by speeding vehicles, he would like to see passing zones added on Rt. 20 between Orange and Unionville and between Unionville and Locust Grove. “People—not just teenage drivers, but adult drivers—take way too many chances on that road. They get too impatient. And I’ve told my driver’s ed students that road is dangerous. … You just have to be alert because you don’t know what the other person might be doing all the time.”
Nick Sodano: “Our focus right now is simply caring for people”
In my email exchange with Sodano, in his second year as OCHS principal after many years as a teacher and principal at other Orange County schools, he wrote, “I have been in contact with the families involved, but out of respect for their privacy, I don’t want to speak on their behalf. They continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.”
He also said, “The biggest thing I would want people to know is that our focus right now is simply caring for people. We are committed to supporting our students, walking alongside their families and making sure our staff have what they need. As a school community, we will continue to grieve together, support one another and take each day as it comes.”
The following Gofundme campaigns have been set up to help defray expenses for the families of those in the collision: one, two, three and four.
Byrd Street also has received word that a gas gift card drive has been started to help families make the trips to hospitals an hour or longer away from home. Gas gift cards may be dropped off at the reception desk at the Taylor Education Administration Complex (next to Prospect Heights Middle School) or mailed to TEAC, 200 Daily Drive, Orange, VA 22960.
Big gulp! 7-Eleven kitten seeks 24/7 home
There’s a very cute and cheerful kitten newly arrived at the Orange County Animal Shelter. Found outside the 7-Eleven in Orange, she can be yours as a foster kitten or a “foster to adopt” permanent love bug. She needs to get a little older and gain some weight before she can be spayed and given the appropriate shots. At that point, she can be adopted, but fostering is perfectly fine right now. Contact shelter director Gina Jenkins at gjenkins@orangecountyva.gov or (540) 672-1124 for more information. And note that the shelter has lots of other cats of varying ages and plenty of dogs, if someone beats you to the 7-Eleven kitten.
And now, dog days
It’s been hot all summer, with only a handful of moderate days. We’ll see if August graces us with cooling, drenching thunderstorms (let’s skip the power outages and fallen trees, please). Here are the latest weather stats:
Obituaries
Clarice “Speedy” Vivian Sindlinger Wright, 84, Gordonsville; Marshall Clark, 84, Gordonsville.
Coming up soon
Orange County Board of Supervisors work session, 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11
Orange County Board of Supervisors regular meeting, 5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11
Freedom Frolic Assembly, Piedmont Historical Dancers celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary with English country dancing, Orange County Visitor’s Center, 7-10 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 15
“Seeking Light,” art exhibition by Firnew Farm Artists’ Circle, Baker Gallery, Woodberry Forest School, with closing reception, 4-6 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23
Community Day, organized by Cooper Cookin Catering, Taylor Park, Orange, 12-5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29
Introduction to Beekeeping, free and open to all, Chateau Merrillanne, 16234 Marquis Road, Orange, 1-2:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29
Fifth Saturday Open Mic, Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church, 7133 Rapidan Road, Rapidan, doors open 5:30 p.m., potluck supper, 6 p.m., gospel, bluegrass, musician’s choice, 7-9 p.m. (open to all musicians, including new performers; audience members welcome to come and listen); Saturday, Aug. 29
Orange Street Festival, Saturday, Sept. 5
In case you missed it
Breaking news: Four OCHS students hospitalized after wreck on Constitution Highway (Aug. 6)
Ready, set, lead: Nick Sodano eagerly heads into second year as OCHS principal (Aug. 3)
Byrdcast: Gordonsville’s Ron Brooks gives himself a ‘B’ for his first year and a half as mayor (July 28)
Orange County Public Schools break ground for long-awaited CTE facility (July 21)
This issue of Byrd Street is sponsored by Gather:
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