Williamstown Mourns Local Student's Sudden Death
 |
| Mathias Jessup Bartels |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Teammates, schoolmates and fellow townspeople both mourned and celebrated a talented scholar, athlete and friend at a memorial service Wednesday, filling Williams College's Chapin Hall.
About 1,000 people turned out to honor Mathias Jessup Bartels, 16, a Mount Greylock Regional High School student whose unexpected death at his family's home at 42 Thomas St. in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 31, has sent waves of sorrow and shock throughout his school, his community and beyond.
Among the throngs in Chapin were sports teams from other high schools, including the Lenox cross-country ski team in gold and black jackets and Hoosac Valley in red. Many other students wore sports jackets in tribute to the sports they had enjoyed together — soccer balls, cross country skis and photographs were arrayed at the front of the stage as mementos of Mathias' enthusiasms.
"Mathias helped Mount Greylock be a better place," said Principal Russell Norton, among the day's speakers. "He has made and will continue to make a difference."
Blair Dils, Mathias' English teacher and soccer coach, remembered his persistence.
"He strove for perfection and almost always achieved it," said Dils. "He was good, fair, dedicated — a true companion and leader. He showed poise, balance and constancy in the classroom and on the field."
Mathias' death, in his sleep from as yet undetermined natural causes, "flies in the face of our fundamental need to understand. There are no simple answers," said Dils.
The service included reflections by family members, including his brothers, Philip and David, and by friends. The Rev. Joseph Devlin of the Society of Jesus officiated. Schoolmate Gideon Bradburd called Mathias "fantastically gifted but modest about his talents — a phenomenal individual." He read a classical poem in translation that concluded, "Forever, brother, hail and farewell."
Will Fogel praised Mathias' passion and playfulness, saying, "He lived life with focus."
The student and scholar's death has brought people together for strength, comfort and consolation, Fogel said. "His death taught me how precious friends really are."
Mathias was at the top of his class at Mount Greylock and a National Merit Scholar Finalist for 2005. His coaches and teammates praised him as one of the school's most dedicated and disciplined athletes. A standout soccer player and cross-country skier, he received an individual first place at the 2003 Stowe Derby, was a member of the 2004 Massachusetts Nordic State Ski Team and a 2004 varsity soccer captain.
In addition, he participated in many student organizations and volunteer causes, including those at St. Patrick's Church. While a student at Williamstown Elementary School, he received the Helen Renzi Citizenship Award.
From the recollections of those who knew him, a portrait emerged of a young man of many talents, great dedication and diligence, and an athlete who led by example. Williams College men's soccer coach Mike Russo, who oversaw the Ajax spring soccer club, called him "a wonderful young man."
Mathias was in soccer camp for many years and in the high school club soccer team, both of which Russo oversees.
"I can't say enough about the young man. He was fantastic. He was a super, super boy," said Russo. "He really had a passion for the game of soccer. He was quiet and led on the field by example. He worked very hard, and I know he has been a delight to coach ... He was extremely dedicated and diligent, and polite. All three of their boys exhibit those same characteristics. They are a tribute to [parents] Tom and Libby."
At Greylock on Monday, students who knew Bartels gathered together for comfort, sometimes in the library, other times in classrooms.
"This kind of tragic loss makes everyone seem vulnerable," said Superintendent Mark Piechota. "It was a difficult day. Everyone's emotions were very evident. If there was anything positive, it was everyone coming forward to comfort each other."
He said many of the students were "devastated": "We kept it flexible, and tried to just be sensitive to how students were dealing with this loss, and if they needed comforting, providing it."
The day began with teachers informing the students of Bartels' death, and in each class period, teachers asked students if they would like to work or to talk. School psychologist Tony Siracusa conferred with teachers, counselors and administrators on dealing with grief.
"Monday was a rough day for a lot of students and faculty," said Piechota. "We're very proud of the way they supported each other, with the help of our counselors. Students and teachers themselves met in small groups to console one another in this loss. Everyone is now doing the best they can, going on with life and the routines of life. If they need extra help, our counselors are available."
He said the school received offers of assistance from outside counselors but officials have not felt the need to take advantage of that offer. "Our own counselors, teachers and students have risen to the occasion and really supported each other."
Piechota added that the teen JavaJive coffeehouse at First Congregational Church on Friday evening will be dedicated to Mathias, who was also a musician.
"He was definitely an all-round student," said Piechota. "He will be greatly missed. He was not only an outstanding scholar and athlete but a genuinely nice person whom everyone respected."
Siracusa had some advice for parents dealing with their teenagers' grief, saying parents need to take their cues from their children in the wide range of possible reactions.
"Adolescents, especially, are going to grieve in a unique way, and we're going to have to be where they are at," said Siracusa, who specializes in adolescent issues. "When adults suffer a loss, they feel sadness and often want to be alone. Adolescents basically get support from each other. At times they need be with friends, at times they need to be alone, at times they may want to be on the computer, and these are all very natural."
He added, "This particular loss is hard for anybody to understand, because we don't know why it happened. The parents have done everything right here, everything right. It's beyond their ability to comprehend, even to endure. It's harder for our children in this community, because understanding it is more difficult. There's no clear reason. He said such a loss is particularly hard for adolescents, who often think they're 'bulletproof.'"
"What's the rules on this one?" he asked, rhetorically. "There are no rules; some things are just not comprehensible. We're going to have to sit by our children and help them endure the darkness. Sometimes terrible things happen, and we can just not offer an explanation."
Tags: memorial,
