Acton-Carlisle High School gathering will honor students lost in crash: updated

Educators are inviting the community to gather on Sunday in honor of the three Acton-Carlisle High School seniors who perished after a highway accident in Florida and one who is still recovering from her injuries.

“In light of the heartbreaking loss of three beloved members of our senior class, and one still critically injured, we invite the entire community to come together for an evening of remembrance, support, connection, and hope,” schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter said in a townwide message Saturday.

“We hope this shared space can offer comfort as we honor the lives of these remarkable students and support one another in this time of deep sorrow,” she wrote. 

The event takes place from 6:30 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the high school’s Memorial Field. Hunter and CCHS co-principals Brian Miller and Katie Stahl encouraged parents and guardians to attend with their children. 

In a Sunday message to the community, Hunter said that she would offer opening remarks at the ceremony, which would also include a moment of silence and remarks by the co-principals.

The remembrance will also feature messages from the McIntosh, O’Donnell, and Wasserman families, Hunter said, as well as the students’ favorite songs, non-denominational remarks from Rabbi Darby Leigh of Kerem Shalom in Acton and Rev. Joel Schofield of Carlisle Congregational Church, and a “live performance by a gifted group of CCHS musicians.”

[Editor’s note: Hunter has asked members of the media to refrain from entering the CCHS campus for the purpose of covering Sunday evening’s event. The Acton Bridge is honoring this request.]

Prior to the event, grief counselors were to be available in the school library from 4 to 6 p.m.

At the time of the fatal accident, four CCHS students were driving on Highway 98 near Inlet Beach in the western Florida panhandle on April 21, just days after the start of their spring vacation. Police said their SUV collided with a tractor-trailer that was making a U-turn in a paved median. 

Seniors Jimmy McIntosh and Hannah Wasserman were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident; Maisey O’Donnell succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital. The fourth student, also a senior, is still recovering.

The 19-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer and his passenger were unharmed, according to law enforcement. The accident remains under investigation.

Since the deaths, CCHS has offered grief counseling sessions to students, as well as resources for parents seeking to talk to their children about tragedy and loss. 

The local faith community has also opened its doors to those seeking solace.

Students return to classes on Monday for the first time since the accident. The high, middle, and elementary schools are generally keeping to normal schedules but with enhanced support, such as grief counseling, available to students in need.

7:21 p.m.: This story has been updated.