Schools

As Funerals Begin, Magruder Seeks Normalcy

Senior class 'deeply affected by this,' principal says.

On Wednesday, as family and friends of Haeley McGuire attended her funeral—the first of in Olney—sophomores at took High School Assessment tests in algebra.

The school was quiet, still reeling from its loss. Seniors were absent.

Many were just down Muncaster Mill Road at St. Francis of Assisi for the funeral of one of their own.

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“They’re not doing well,” Magruder principal Leroy C. Evans said. “They’re deeply impacted by this.”

The driver in the crash, 20-year-old Kevin Coffay of Rockville, a 2009 Magruder graduate, is charged with five traffic offenses. Coffay posted $50,000 bail on Tuesday. His next court hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on July 12 at the Rockville District Courthouse.

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County police, who say Coffay fled from the scene, are continuing their investigation and additional charges are possible. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the county police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit at 301-840-2435.

With the state-mandated tests taking center stage at the school, Magruder’s Class of 2011, which graduates in 12 days, had been excused from classes for the four days leading up to Friday’s senior exams even before the loss of their classmate.

McGuire, an 18-year-old senior was “very active” in school life and one of the most recognizable faces around school, Evans said.

She was a member of the field hockey team and part of the school’s morning television news team.

“She had a very engaging, bubbly personality," Evans said. "She had no reservations about engaging people. That was something that endeared her to the whole school community.”

A team of psychologists, counselors and pupil personnel workers joined Magruder staff on Monday to provide support for grieving students.

“This is a very difficult time for all of us,” Evans wrote in a letter informing parents of the tragedy. “We ask that you who knew the members of our Magruder High School family remember and celebrate their lives. For those of you who did not know them, we ask that you respect our sadness and support us with your understanding.”

A dinner program, organized weeks in advanced by the Magruder PTA as a way to talk with students about making good decisions and having a safe summer, attracted about 600 people to the school on Monday evening, Evans said.

The crash provided, a teachable, if tragic, moment. Media was barred from the free dinner as the school community closed ranks.

“We used that time to start the healing process,” Evans said.

In the days ahead, seniors will focus on planning for graduation as underclassmen prepare for finals and the school tries to find some semblance of normalcy.

For McGuire’s friends and classmates it will be difficult, Evans said.

“She touched a lot of kids. It’s going to take us some time to recover.”


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