Elementary School Deals With Loss of 5 Students

HOUSTON - Their smiling faces greet visitors at Aldine ISD's Johnson Elementary School.

Nine-year-old Paul, 8-year-old noel, 6-year-old Angie and 5-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez- all brothers and sisters, all killed in a weekend car crash.

"That's four children you're talking about," said Joanna Gonzalez, the children's aunt, "Four of them."

On Friday, the children's aunts returned to the school that’s trying so hard to help.

Classmates, parents and teachers are donating money to pay for their funerals, while coping with their own grief.

On Saturday, they'll host a barbeque benefit at Macarthur High School starting at 10am. Another teacher has set up a webpage and bank account for people who wish to donate.

"(It's) our way of thanking them for giving us the time we had with their children," said Dr. Rebecca Hoyt, school principal.

The losses for Johnson Elementary don't end with the Gonzalez children.

Also on Sunday, another little girl, Evelyn Moreno, died in a separate accident. Moreno was a member of the school's orchestra.

"One of the most difficult tasks is telling the students," said Hoyt. "We had one class lose two students, and that was very, very hard."

To deal with the losses, additional counselors are on hand to answer questions the children may have.

Dr. Charlotte Davis is the district's director of guidance counseling.

"It can be very difficult because children are at different states when working with them about death and sensitive issues," she said.

It’s a lesson even the grown ups find hard to understand. As she copes with the loss of her sister's children, Carina Gonzalez also has to help her own three kids say goodbye to their cousins.

"There’s no right words to say to a child when there’s a death in the family," said Gonzalez. "But my kids know they're in heaven, and they'll be watching down on them."

To donate to the Gonzalez family:
www.austinhunter.net

Bank Account Information:
Prosperity Bank
Little York
713-242-1010
Acct #: 05094851

Barbeque Fundraiser Information:
10 a.m. Saturday, March 6
MacArthur High School Parking Lot
281-985-6510
4400 Aldine Mail Route