SEBASTIAN — Family, friends, students, teachers and staff will gather Saturday at Sebastian River High School to remember the life of a student and well-respected band member who drowned at the beach on Friday. The event is open to the public.
“Please join us in the courtyard as we come together to honor and remember our beloved classmate and cherished member of the Shark family,” Sebastian River High School officials said in a statement.
The memorial will be held from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the campus, 9001 Shark Boulevard in Sebastian. The name of the student, who was set to graduate next Thursday, was not publicly released.
School District of Indian River County officials said the 18-year-old was among a group of students who went to Treasure Shores Park on Friday after school hours. Throughout the week, Sebastian River High School honored its graduating seniors with a series of final celebrations.
After Friday’s event, a group of students went to the beach at Treasure Shores Park. The beach is located in the 11300 block of Highway A1A.
The student was caught in a rip current and pulled underwater for several minutes, school officials said. Several bystanders pulled the teenager from the water and tried to revive him, according to sheriff’s officials.
The student was taken by ambulance to Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Victims’ advocates and the sheriff’s Trauma Advocate Response Team were providing support to the teen’s family, teachers and classmates. Sebastian River High School officials will also provide support for students and staff in the coming days.
The medical examiner’s office will determine the student’s cause of death.
