Connellsville students gather to remember friend killed in turnpike crash
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Connellsville Area Middle School students prepare to release balloons with messages to their friend, 11-year-old Hayden M. Field, who died in a car accident April 25. Some of his closest friends organized 鈥淎 Night for Hayden鈥� Thursday to remember the 6h grade student.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Connellsville Area Middle School organized 鈥淎 Night for Hayden鈥� Thursday to remember their friend, 11-year-old Hayden M. Field, and to show his family how much he was lived. The sixth grade student died in a car accident April 25.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Connellsville Area students prepare to release balloons with messages to their friend, 11-year-old Hayden M. Field, who died in a car accident April 25. Some of his closest friends organized 鈥淎 Night for Hayden鈥� Thursday to remember the 6h grade student.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Connellsville Area Middle School students release balloons with messages to their friend, 11-year-old Hayden M. Field, who died in a car accident April 25. Some of his closest friends organized 鈥淎 Night for Hayden鈥� Thursday to remember the 6h grade student.
Young students organized a 鈥淣ight for Hayden鈥� to show a grieving family and future students that the impact of a short life can last forever.
鈥淣obody can take from us those beautiful memories we had with someone so special,鈥� said Jeffrey Grimm, a close friend of 11-year-old Hayden M. Field during a ceremony at Connellsville Area Middle School Thursday.
Hayden, a sixth grade student at the middle school, died in a car accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike April 25 in Mount Pleasant Township. He was with his dad, Harvey 鈥淒enny鈥� Field, for Take Your Child to Work Day. Denny Field, a 49-year-old Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission employee, is recovering from serious injuries.
The boy鈥檚 friends organized the event so students could grieve their loss and so his parents could see how much their son was loved, said Aubree McClean, a close friend and classmate.
Twelve of his friends spoke to a packed auditorium, played memorial videos and sang for their friend. Each lit a candle as they left the stage, to represent that his light will continue to shine. Students also dedicated a memorial plaque and bench in his honor.
鈥淲hen I go out to the courtyard, I can probably see him sitting on that bench,鈥� Aubree said.
She and Hayden met in kindergarten. First they bonded over Spongebob. Then they found a shared a love of Michael Jackson. The pair would often sing Michael Jackson songs together, and perfected their dance moves for 鈥淭hriller.鈥�
Hayden was a member of the Bullskin Buzz and loved to write. A memorial video shared some of his news casts with his partner. He wrote in a journal that he wanted to solve the problems of bullying and discrimination. In a second entry, he wrote about love.
鈥淚 define love as a definite connection,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚f you love someone, you will do almost anything for them. Everyone loves somebody. They might not love you back, but you will still climb the highest mountain to protect them. If you really love someone, you think about them and you can鈥檛 wait to see them again, and you spend every minute with them like it is your last. If you really love someone and they don鈥檛 know, they should. Don鈥檛 be afraid to tell someone how much you love them.鈥�
His friends wrote notes to Hayden about the memories they shared. Some recorded video messages. One boy told Hayden he made a phone call to his mom on Mother鈥檚 Day for him.
Elizabeth Painter, another one of Hayden鈥檚 close friends, thanked God in a tearful prayer for sending Hayden to be a part of their lives.
鈥淧lease tell Hayden we miss him, and we will remember him always,鈥� she said.
A large group gathered outside under dark clouds to release balloons with messages to their friend. Friend and classmate Ethan Porreca told the group to find healing, hope and renewal as they watch the balloons fade into the sky.
Hayden鈥檚 mother, Jennifer Field, wrapped her arms around her son鈥檚 friends. She held tight, speaking words of comfort. Hayden鈥檚 father, at times, hugged one child with each arm.
Two girls cried at length, holding each other until the tears stopped. One used a tissue to dab the other鈥檚 eyes. She laughed, then collapsed into her friend鈥檚 arms again.
鈥淪tay as long as you like, but when you are ready, go from here in peace,鈥� Porreca said.