Senior Helen Alemu passes away

Senior Helen Alemu died yesterday morning due to what is thought to be trauma to the head after a fall, according to an announcement made today.

Alemu's parents are not sure of the cause of her death, but they have been led to assume that she had a seizure, according to Assistant Principal Linda Wanner. "My understanding is that she had a seizure, causing her to fall and hit her head," she said. "Her family found her in the shower, and the trauma caused her sudden death."

Alemu was an ESOL student who was planning to take a fifth year at Blair to graduate high school.

According to her calculus teacher, Peter Engelmann, Alemu was a great student and person. "She was very polite and always helpful," he said. "She even helped another student in the class who was having trouble understanding the material."

"Alemu was well-loved by everybody," Wanner said. "She was very quiet and very sweet. [She] was Ethiopian, and the community was very close, so obviously everybody in the community is upset about it."

During the day, students were encouraged to see a counselor to talk about Alemu's death, and a large poster was hung outside the SAC for students to write on.

The memorial service and funeral have yet to be determined.