WATCH: Sorrow marked the first day back for students and staff at the north end elementary school where Elvis Lam went to school. Kendra Slugoski reports.
EDMONTON – A critical response team was on hand Monday morning when students returned to classes at Bishop Greschuk Catholic Elementary School, the north Edmonton elementary where Elvis Lam was a Grade 3 student.
“We wanted to just ensure that our community, the City of Edmonton, and our community here at Bishop Greschuk School, is comforted to know that we are here today, we are here in full force today providing all the supports we possibly can,” said Joan Carr, the superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools.
“We express our prayers, our deepest sympathies at this very, very, very difficult time for this school community, for our classroom, for all the students, staff and families.”
Eight-year-old Elvis was among the eight victims police say were shot by 53-year-old Phu Lam before Lam killed himself last week.
READ MORE: Edmonton mass murder: a timeline of events
Carr said there was a team of eight counsellors at the school, along with district chaplains and two police officers with the Victim Services Unit.
“It’s really important that we provide support to our children this morning,” she said.
“We want to be sure that our children feel that they’re safe, that they’re loved, and they’re cared for and that we do everything we can to ensure that they feel that today and for the days to come.”
“I spent the morning with the Grade 3 class,” said Carr. “The teacher did a phenomenal job of speaking to the children about terrible things happing and how and where we want to celebrate the life of Elvis. The children are spending the morning preparing memories and are going to be sharing that.”
A therapy dog named Freedom was also in the classroom with the children. An area was set up where the students could go to share memories of Elvis and simply be together, Carr explained.
The superintendent was able to read some excerpts from Elvis’ journal.
She described him as “just an extremely bright young boy, very passionate about school. He loved math, he loved science. He totally loved his baby sister. There were many stories about his baby sister in his journal.”
The Edmonton Catholic School Division said Elvis attended the school for the past two years. Elvis’ teachers described him as a “quiet and kind student who will be missed tremendously by his peers and the staff.”
READ MORE: Love and acceptance the messages at prayer service for Edmonton mass murder victims
“It’s devastating,” said Carr on Monday. “It’s devastating to our district as a whole.
“To lose a child at any age — but to lose a child at such a young age — is extremely difficult. It’s traumatic for us.”
“The students were very aware and some were very articulate in terms of what they understood happened. I have to commend the parent community for the time the parents have spent with them sharing information and trying to assure their children that they are safe and it was a horrible thing that happened but we now have to move beyond that.”
Carr said the district is also taking steps to ensure staff and parents have the support they need.
“We had parents coming in this morning who wanted to speak to someone and we had many people available.” Carr added that the critical response team would be at the school Tuesday and for as long as they were required.
A letter was sent home with parents Monday, providing suggestions and strategies for parents when speaking to their children about the horrifying loss.
Comments