Excelsior High School Plunged into Grief Amid Murder of Beloved Principal

This morning at Excelsior High School it was classes as usual but with the presence of a team of counselors.  They were on hand to support the grieving members of staff, as well as the students, whose principal was among the trio of victims slain in Tuesday’s horrific incident.  We caught up with high school chairman Javier Castellanos who told us that the grief-stricken faculty and staff are soldiering on despite the tragedy that has befallen the school.

Javier Castellanos, Chairman, Excelsior High School

“We’re trying to see how we could get all assistance, you know, from the city.  We got some counselors, I think about ten counselors.  We have a chaplain that came on and the board members are here and the teachers.  We met last night with the board members, the board met last night and we decided on how to go ahead.”

Reporter

“Well how do you go ahead?  It’s such a traumatic loss for the body of students, for the school.  Was it a tough decision to make to go ahead with classes in the first place today?”

Javier Castellanos

Javier Castellanos

“Yes, it was a tough decision and we believe that if we have the students here then we could have the counseling done.”

Isani Cayetano

“What was it like coming here this morning and seeing the faces of these students in light of the fact that they have lost their leader, essentially?”

Javier Castellanos

“She taught a couple classes also as a principal.  She had close connections to the students and I believe that the students are, well yesterday when I saw them they were surprised, we just met her a couple hours ago.  I think it’s the shock, but they will not give up though.  I think they will work for her because this was her goal, to change the school.”