During final exam week, grief counsellors have assembled at Debden School.
They are there to provide support after a student who graduated from the school two weeks ago died in a single-vehicle collision.
Shaye Amundson, 18, was killed Tuesday morning after her vehicle rolled into a body of water near the community.
According to RCMP, the vehicle was driving on a grid road and lost control about seven kilometres northeast of the village. There were bodies of water on both sides of the road, and Amundson’s vehicle went into the water on one side of the road where it was completely submerged.
When paramedics and RCMP arrived, Amundson was declared deceased at the scene.
Debden School principal Dan Jean said it is a very tough day at the school Wednesday, adding Amundson was well liked.
“She was our student council leader, captain of our hockey team, ball team. She was involved in every sport you could imagine. (She was) academically strong and just a bubbly personality,” Jean said.
Amundson attended Debden School from kindergarten straight through to Grade 12.
Jean said news of Amundson’s death is equally hard on staff as it is for students.
“She becomes a family member. We look at all of these students as our kids and when something happens, it happens to our own kids,” he said.
Jean said the community support is very strong and he passed along his condolences to the Amundson family.
In addition to her active school life, Amundson was a member of the P.A. Aces fast pitch team. The team won silver at this year’s provincials, and gold last year. The teen also played with the team at Westerns and Nationals
Stephanie Ripplinger, vice-president of the Alcan Development Fastpitch Organization, said Amundson was always there for her team.
“She had amazing team spirit. She was always cheering. She was always giving her team the confidence they needed,” Ripplinger said.
“Anybody that was Shaye’s friend was a best friend. She was just that person that it didn’t matter who you were, you were her friend,” she said.
P.A. Minor Softball posted a tribute to Amundson on its Facebook page.
Another woman wrote:
“Such a beautiful girl inside and out. God gained another sweet angel yesterday.”