JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's been a rough school year for students at Wolfson High School, having lost two classmates to tragedies in less than three months.
"Whenever there is sudden grief or a sudden loss, it usually causes a lot of intense pain because there was no planning," psychologist Dr. Justin D'Arienzo said.
Students didn't plan for the death of their classmates 17-year-olds Jordan Davis or JaNay Jackson.
Davis was shot and killed last Friday night at a Southside gas station in a dispute over loud music coming from the SUV he was in. Jackson was killed in August when a car drove through a stop sign and into her bedroom.
That's two horrific deaths of promising Wolfson students within a few months of each other, both of which could have been prevented.
D'Arienzo says right now many students are probably in a state of disbelief.
"They don't really understand how this happened, is this real, and they probably expect to see their friend or friends return to school the next day just as usual," D'Arienzo said.
That's the hardest part for students and teachers at Wolfson -- knowing that Jackson (pictured right) and Davis won't be coming back. It's a reality Davis' English teacher, Ninon Rhome, is having a hard time imagining.
"The biggest thing for me coming back from Thanksgiving break is visualizing his seat empty," Rhome said Tuesday, the first day back from the break. "So probably tomorrow will be a lot more overwhelming than it was today."
Davis' reading teacher, Carolyn Aponte, got her students together to pray Tuesday.
"If he were still here, I'd still be hugging on him, encouraging, telling him I'll be there at your graduation," Aponte said. "Now, I'm going to be at his funeral, and that just rips me to the core."
It's going to be upsetting for many for quite a while, teachers and students said. Students are still grieving over the loss of Jackson in late August and now have to deal with losing Davis.
"It's not a pleasant day, by any means, and it's not something that's going to end for us any time soon," Wolfson Principal David Garner said. "We think of our students for the rest of the year and years to come."
"It's a lesson that any day could be your last and to really live life to the fullest and to make the best out of every event and choice," D'Arienzo said.
The Davis family will hold a visitation from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home at 11801 San Jose Blvd. The funeral will be held Saturday in Marietta, Ga.