Dear Cooper Parents and Caregivers,

I am writing with great sadness to inform you that one of our 12th grade students, Travis Livers Gowdy, passed away today.  We plan to inform all Cooper students of this tragic event during school today.  School counselors and school psychologists will be on hand at school to help everyone understand and process this tragic event.  

The cause of death was due to related injuries from a recent car accident.  Death can be difficult for us to understand.  All of us, especially our children, will be feeling a variety of emotions.  In addition to sadness, it is common for children to feel confusion, fear, anger, self-blame, and guilt - these are especially true when the death involves a peer.  Other common reactions include feelings of loneliness, concentration difficulties, minor sleeping difficulties and mild physical complaints.  What is most important during this time is that we care for and support each other. 

Many parents ask what they can do to help support their child during the grieving process.  Parents are encouraged to be physically present, show warmth, be patient, allow their child to talk about it, listen carefully, acknowledge feelings, show an understanding of what happened, and give reasonable reassurance.  Teens will try to make some sense of what happened and it is important for them to come to a resolution about the event.  Carefully challenge any negative conclusions and reinforce the positive ones.

Any time death touches us, it is stressful.  It is for this reason that we especially want you to know of our care and support.  Children often need extra support and attention for a period of time.  They might want help with homework because they are having trouble concentrating and learning.  You also may want to encourage some social time with friends.  Getting back to a regular routine is important for your children's health and enables them to move along in their grieving process.  In general, if children are having trouble getting back to usual routines after several weeks, it's a good idea to seek some support.  Please let your child's teachers, counselor, or administrator know if there is any additional information the school should be aware of so we can support the needs of your child.

If you would like additional information and guidance please click here  to download grief resources from the National Association of School Psychologists.

For additional information regarding visitation and funeral service, please visit the Randall K. Cooper official Twitter (@rchs_jagaurs), Facebook (Randall K. Cooper High School and our Website.   The links to our social media are on the left side. 

#cooperstrong