KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, Fla. – When the players took the field on a rainy football Friday in Keystone Heights, one of their football players wasn’t there.
A student, Ryder, was injured during a Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High School football game and the junior varsity season was canceled because there weren’t enough players.
MORE: Keystone Heights community unites to pray over students involved in tragedies
It’s one of many tragedies that the school is pulling through together.
Laurie Burke has been the Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High School principal for five years. She’s witnessed the heartache of the school tragedies firsthand.
“We have had a couple of car accidents, totally unrelated to each other, and they were about a week apart. Then we had a significant injury on the football field,” said Burke.
The school has been showing support and grieving in its own way, making t-shirts, banners and wristbands for the football player who was injured.
As the accidents began to mount, the school and surrounding community came together.
For children and teens processing death and life-changing accidents can feel more overwhelming than for adults. The Clay County School District has provided counselors.
Burke said the students have responded well to the counselors and therapy resources being offered to them.
“For the school level, really well and then our community churches, really well,” she said.
Throughout the hallways, classes and cafeterias you see support for the teens.
Though this semester has started off challenging for everyone Principal Burke and the staff have faith that they will get through this tragic time.