Students Find Teacher's Body After Apparent Suicide

http://www.comcast.net/news/nationa...2/16/327559.html&cvqh=itn&ts=2006.02.16_13.10

YORK, Pa. - High school students arriving for class Thursday morning found the body of a teacher who had apparently shot himself to death the day before, a coroner said.

As many as 10 West York Area High School students may have seen the body, Coroner Barry Bloss said. He said the shooting happened Wednesday after school let out. He would not say precisely where inside the school the body was found.

omg!!!...why on earth would the teacher decide to take his life IN the school???...am curious what the note said...

close_enough said:

omg!!!...why on earth would the teacher decide to take his life IN the school???...am curious what the note said...

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I hate to thiink this way, but my first thought was a relationship with a student?

j2mirish said:

I hate to thiink this way, but my first thought was a relationship with a student?

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This is exactly what I thought too. That, or he has some sort of secret weird life that was about to be revealed.....

To do this knowing children would most likely find him was beyond selfish........Suicide is selfish enough but this.......there's no excuse for it.

j2mirish said:

I hate to thiink this way, but my first thought was a relationship with a student?

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I thought that too and that was the first thing out of my husband's mouth when I mentioned the news to him.

here is the letter that was sent home with the students to the parents...

LETTER FROM DISTRICT
Dear Parent/Guardian:

It is with great sadness that we report a tragic situation involving one of our high school teachers. Shortly after school began, it was determined that a teacher had died in his classroom prior to the start of the school day. The West York Area High School administration immediately implemented a Code Blue "Lock Down" which means that all students are held in their respective rooms due to a medical emergency. Law enforcement and medical personnel were on campus within minutes.

Our Crisis Intervention Team was immediately activated, including mental health professionals to assist the students and staff. These professionals strongly advised against an early dismissal to allow students to process their reactions with counselors.

School counselors, psychologists, and mental health professionals will be on site for as long as needed. Although school is closed Friday, February 17, counseling services will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the high school. Should your child be in need of additional assistance, we recommend that you call Crisis Intervention at 851-5320 for 24 hour access.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact either an administrator or a guidance counselor at 845-6634.

Our goal is to assist our students and community through this extremely difficult time while respecting the family's privacy.

Sincerely,

WEST YORK AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

Janet M. May, Principal

teacher id - West York teacher who was found dead in a classroom has been identified as Mark Stickel, an art teacher who was a long-term member of the faculty. David Vagnoni reports.

http://www.abc27.com/news/stories/0206/303378.html

That it was NOT a suicide, but only MADE to look like one? Do we know for sure that homicide was ruled out?

Indy, you and I posted at the same time, so after reading your post, I'm not quite as suspicious....but you never know.....

Jovin said:

That it was NOT a suicide, but only MADE to look like one? Do we know for sure that homicide was ruled out?

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I thought that too but I always question the suicides, it doesn't say that the gun belonged to him and he could've been made to write the note. J2mirish gave a very good motive for murder and why it happened at the school. Remember the teenaged girl that was ruled a suicide by hanging and later her boyfriend admitted to killing her after he saw the Passion of the Christ movie? He thought she was pregnant and come to find out she wasn't.

Those poor kids. What a scene to walk into.

I too, have to wonder why a teacher would commit such an act where he knew his students would find him.

I will pray for his family and the students caught up in a drama they have done nothing to deserve.

KrazyKollector said:

Those poor kids. What a scene to walk into.

I too, have to wonder why a teacher would commit such an act where he knew his students would find him.

I will pray for his family and the students caught up in a drama they have done nothing to deserve.

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off topic - we had a bizarre scenario at one of the hospitals where an anesthesiologist committed suicide in the operating room after hours. Hooked himself up to an intravenous etc...

:waitasec: what was up with that??

WOW - just saw this thread here and realized this happened only about 30 miles from me! I can't believe I didn't hear about this yesterday! What an awful situation. We've got some weird stuff happening here in South Central PA - first the Borden/Ludwig thing, Johnny Weir acts like an idiot at the Olympics, and now this! NOTHING ever happens here...it's weird, trust me.

Hbgchick said:

WOW - just saw this thread here and realized this happened only about 30 miles from me! I can't believe I didn't hear about this yesterday! What an awful situation. We've got some weird stuff happening here in South Central PA - first the Borden/Ludwig thing, Johnny Weir acts like an idiot at the Olympics, and now this! NOTHING ever happens here...it's weird, trust me.

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<listening for the Twilight song>:chicken:

Lol....seriously!

That's sending a message. About 15 years ago, I hear about an insurance adjuster, who went to work, put his stuff on his desk, went to the roof and jumped off. That was a clear indication to me, the guy was trying to say something about work. Clearly, this teacher was giving the same sort of message. Time will tell what that was. Shame that the students had to be the ones to discover the body though.

Jeana (DP) said:

That's sending a message. About 15 years ago, I hear about an insurance adjuster, who went to work, put his stuff on his desk, went to the roof and jumped off. That was a clear indication to me, the guy was trying to say something about work. Clearly, this teacher was giving the same sort of message.

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Maybe the message was.....the kids in his classes this year were driving him crazy? :laugh: J/K!

what a gruesome discovery for these poor young students
it also appears this well liked teacher killed himself on what was to be his 56th birthday that's more than a mid life crisis.

link to article

West York Area School Supt. Emilie Lonardi said students filed to their usual seats for a first-period class Thursday morning. With a substitute teacher leading the class, they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and listened to morning announcements.

Sometime later, Tyler Lindstrom, a junior, tried to throw his gum away in the trash can but missed. He said he got up to pick it up and put it in the trash when he saw legs on the floor. He tried to lean over a counter to get a better look and didn't know what to think.
"My first thought was that it was a joke or someone's project because it was an art room," he said.

He returned to his desk to think about it, then told a classmate who looked and believed it was their teacher, Lindstrom said.

By then, the commotion caught the attention of the 12 to 15 students in the class, who went to the back of the room.

One student touched the body to make sure that what they were seeing was real, Lindstrom said. Another student went with the substitute teacher to get another teacher, who tried to take Stickel's pulse.

*more at link

deandaniellws said:

Maybe the message was.....the kids in his classes this year were driving him crazy? :laugh: J/K!

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Darlin, I'm sorry. I don't get your sense of humor.

I'm wondering why no one found the body sooner...does this school not employ custodians?