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Teens and teachers grieve loss of student

Students and teachers who knew Shaun Clark Jr. grieved together at Shadow Hills High School after returning from spring break.

The Desert Sands Unified School District called in experts to help people through this tough time.

“We have our four counselor here at Shadow Hills, we have a counseling support from our student assistance program, we have some psychologists, as well as our grief group adviser,” said Principal of Shadow Hills High School, Marcus Wood.

Shaun Clark Jr. was skateboarding with friends around 11:00 p.m. last Tuesday at Avenue 43 west of Calhoun Street when he was struck by an SUV.

Clark later died from his injuries at Desert Regional Medical Center on April 1.

“It’s been a somber mood as you can expect, however having Shaun’s parents be a part of this process for our students and our staff has helped,” said Assistant Principal of Shadow Hills High School, David Gustafson.

FAMILY MOURNS LOSS OF INDIO TEEN

Clark’s family spoke to groups of students at the high school on Monday morning.

“They had a chance to talk about celebrating Shaun’s life and the great things he was able to dos as well as they want to make a positive out of this, and that’s in regards to safety and helmets, and getting kids on bikes and skateboards to wear helmets,” said Wood.

The district also set aside help for teachers who knew Clark.

“In the event that a staff member is having a difficult time dealing with the situation, we do have guest teachers who can cover those classes to make sure they have access to the quality support for our counseling department,” said Gustafson.

Counselors will be on hand for a while to help people who need time to heal.

“Students may not come in today, maybe tomorrow or later this week, they might not come in for two weeks so we’ll have our councilors, and the district is on call if we need anything and our four can’t handle it,” said Wood.

A candle light vigil for Clark will take place April 8 at 7 p.m at Shadow Hills High School in front of the Preforming Arts Center.

The memorial service will take place April 9 at 3 p.m. at The Garden Fellowship Church in Bermuda Dunes. Afterward there will be a reception at the Terra Lago Club House. The gate to get into the community is at 43889 Lago Vista Blvd. Someone will direct drivers from the gate.

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