LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
HUME — “You’ve heard it said that she was one of mine by so many people here tonight. I need each one of you to know that you, each one of you, are one of mine,” Shiloh School Superintendent Morgan Wilhoit said to a mourning group of students Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Students, parents, faculty members and community members converged on the rural school’s campus at 6 p.m. that day following the announcement that a high school freshman had unexpectedly passed away.
Wilhoit informed the community of the death, calling it “a significant loss in our school and our community” on the school’s official Facebook page earlier that day, around 2 p.m.
The student, Aaliyah Rose (Hernandez), a 14-year-old from Newman, passed away at Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Sept. 3 following a tragic accident.
Her cause of death and the surrounding details are currently under investigation by the Coles County Coroner and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
“Our district is committed to doing everything we can to help our students with the grieving and healing process,” Wilhoit said in her official statement. “To that end, we have activated our crisis counseling team to be at our schools today.”
The superintendent said the loss would affect everyone in the school family and the community. She advised parents and caretakers that students may have “difficulty dealing with the loss…we encourage you to talk with your child,” she said.
The school also provided grief counselors until 7 p.m. on both Tuesday, Sept. 3 and Wednesday, Sept. 4. Following the tragic events, the school also elected to cancel all junior high and high school sporting events, as well as a special board meeting scheduled for that evening. In place of the events, the school held a parking lot vigil.
The vigil was a somber event where members of the school board and faculty made the wellness of its students a continued priority. Standing in a large circle in front of the building, students and community members gathered to remember the life of their classmate.
Community members, parents and supporters of the school took turns speaking to students, sharing their hearts, pleading with students to make good choices while sharing their support for the young people gathered.
Messages the students heard included the need for them to “let people love you and learn to love other people” from a junior high educator who pleaded with students from the middle of the vigil circle.
“Please, if you need someone to talk to you, talk to us,” she said. “Know that we are here and we care for you. We love each one of you and care for you. Let us love you and never be afraid to come to us.”
Other educators used the opportunity to remind students to “make good choices.”
“I cannot let this opportunity go by without letting someone here know that if you are making poor choices, then it’s time to stop,” a speaker told the group. “We cannot let her life be in vain. Someone needs to let this horrible moment be a wake-up call to them.”
The majority of speeches and stories told to the group reminded students and grieving family members that her life, while short and marked by difficulty, had great meaning.
“Everyone here is carrying a piece of her life and her story with them, and that matters,” a family member shared. “Her life mattered and it will never be forgotten. You and I will never forget her.”
“Death is one of the hardest things in life to deal with,” a community member said when they stood in the center’s circle. “Death is even harder when you don’t get to say goodbye… I want each one of you to look around at the group surrounding you. This is your support group. These are the people that are here for you.”
In addition to the support of an entire school district, the grief-stricken students at Shiloh School are also receiving support from neighboring communities. Staff and students at Villa Grove CUSD #302 and Oakland CUSD #5 both opted to wear blue in support of the school on Wednesday, Sept. 4.