Shrewsbury Superintendent Addresses Suicide, Grafton Teen Death

SHREWSBURY, MA—The body of a young woman was found on the Mass. Pike in the early morning hours last week. At first, there were no answers as to what happened to Alexandra Valoras, a Grafton resident and junior at Blackstone Valley Regional Technical High School.

Reports revealed and her parents confirmed to media that she had taken her own life, prompting officials from her school to reach out with a notice of support.

On March 19, 2018, Alexandra Valoras, an Engineering student in the class of 2019, lost her life. This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school community, especially our students. BVT has a Crisis Intervention Team made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and staff at difficult times such as this. BVT has counselors available for any student who may need or want help or any type of assistance surrounding this loss.

On Friday, Shrewsbury Superintendent Joe Sawyer also reached out to the Shrewsbury school community, indicating that many in the town knew Valoras through their community church, which is located in Shrewsbury. He also reached out a day after Valoras's family gave a heart wrenching interview to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, and urged others to pay attention to teenagers and the threat of suicide.

Sawyer sent out the following message Friday morning:

Dear Shrewsbury Families & Community Members,

Many of you know that a young woman, Alexandra Valoras, who was a student at Blackstone Valley Technical High School who lived in our neighboring community of Grafton, tragically committed suicide on March 19. Some of our students and families knew her and her family through their church, which is in Shrewsbury.

Our hearts go out to everyone in the Grafton, Blackstone Valley Tech, and St. Nicholas Orthodox Church communities regarding this terrible loss.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has published this article, which also includes a video interview, where Alexandra’s parents, Dean and Alysia, speak candidly about Alexandra’s suicide and what they learned about the depression she had been concealing. By having the courage to share their story, they are hoping to help youth who may be similarly struggling get help, and to help other families avoid going through the devastation of losing a child in this way. I urge you to read it and reflect upon it.

For me, this is another reminder that nothing is more important than the health and safety of our community’s young people. We have taken steps to help improve social emotional learning for our students and to provide supports for students who are experiencing social, emotional, and mental health issues, but we have much more to do. In the coming weeks, months, and years, I ask that you join me in helping to enhance our schools’ ability to support the well-being of our students.

In the meantime, any time that you have any concerns of this nature about your child or a particular student, or anyone, it is critical to communicate with someone who can help. Assistance related specifically to suicide is available at the resources listed below. If you have a concern about your child or another student that is not urgent, please contact the school by reaching out to a counselor, psychologist, clinical coordinator, or school administrator so that we can assist.

Thank you for your attention to this important information and for your assistance in supporting our students.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call:

• The Samaritans Statewide crisis help line at 1-877-870-4673 (call or text)
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (veterans press 1)
• Call2Talk: 508-532-2255 or text c2t to 741741

For more information go to http://www.masspreventssuicide.org.

Photo via Shutterstock