Remembering Karissa

By Greg Bennett

The Coast Guard

NovaNewsNow.com

The yellow, green, pink, orange and red posters that line the walls outside Mr. Roache’s Grade Six classroom express many emotions.

Most are of sorrow.

The memory wall in honour of former student Karissa Boudreau began on Friday and by the end of the day dozens of posters lined the hallway at Hillcrest Academy in Shelburne.

Principal Stephen Pippy said the memory wall had been generated by students as a way to ensure they remember the little girl who spent a short two and a half months with them in grade six before moving to Bridgewater in the fall.

Pippy describes the project as a healing process for the students. The school was also visited on Friday by a critical incident team to offer students help who needed assistance sorting through their feelings.

While many of the posters reflect an almost generic sadness and offer specific remembrances of Karissa, some are quite personal and express love, deep sorrow and even feelings of anger.

“I am angry at whoever took her life,” reads one. “I am upset, sad and I feel sick,” reads another.

School officials expect students and staff at the school to be dealing with Karissa’s death for some time as a result of the continuing news coverage of the murder on the television, radio and in newspapers.

“We expect this to be an ongoing issue,” said Principal Pippy, who has his own personal remembrances of Karissa as a quiet and polite student.