Coach refutes claims about student's death

Guidance counsellor noted problems during sessions with Murray

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Her smile and cordial personality will be missed at the Godfrey Stewart High School in Westmoreland as sorrow grips the school with the death of 15-year-old Tia Murray.

For guidance counsellor Annette Saddler, Tia was always smiling and they would have frequent encounters.

"It came as a shock to me when I heard the news of her death because she would always come to visit me to see how I was doing and we would talk outside of sessions," she said.

"But she was very outspoken and seemed very comfortable in her school setting to the point where if we don't tell her to go home, she wants to stay even after school has ended."

Tia, a third-form student from Barracks Road in Savanna-la-Mar, reportedly committed suicide last Wednesday in a section of the community called Gully Bank.

counsellor's concern

The guidance counsellor shared a concern she had after a counselling session with Tia and her mother.

"At the end of the session, I was not comfortable with the ... response to the situation," she noted.

Principal Theobold Fearon also expressed that the 15-year-old student needed intervention with her academics and family.

"While she was not a top-performing student, we did the best we could have done for her and our guidance counsellor has always been there for her so as a school community we are at a loss as to why this tragedy occurred."

Meanwhile, the school's physical education teacher and coach Hilma Swaby has refuted media reports that the child's apparent suicide was related to her not being placed on the track team, which participated at the recently concluded ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships in Kingston.

"I must clear the air on the matter. Tia was not an athlete and she was not a part of the school team who went to Champs. She was enthusiastic about the sport, but as far as being on a team for Milo Relays and such, that is not true," said an emotional Swaby.