AUBURN - The valedictorian of Auburn High School's class of 2005 was found dead in Auburn Township Park Monday morning, apparently the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Chelsey Shores, 17, was to study biochemistry this fall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Shores graduated with 61 of her classmates May 27 in the Auburn Middle School gymnasium. During the ceremony, as valedictorian, Shores gave a short, pointed speech. In it, she indicated she had felt mistreated during portions of her high school career, but she advised her fellow classmates to muddle through.
"Remember, as you graduates and many guests here tonight can attest, that people are not always nice, and life is not always fun," she said.
"People will judge you unfairly, and they can make your life unbearable. Don't let mean-spirited people get you down. You must continue to struggle in spite of difficulties and opposition. When times are hard, the best advice I can give to you is to persevere."
I wish she had taken her own advice. I understand that Shores had had a problem with a couple of other girls and that authorities yesterday were initially concerned for their safety. Apparently, they were fine. But shame on those girls if their torment in any way contributed to this tragedy. I hope they feel more than a little guilty and move on in life with a greater respect for the feelings of others.
Having said that, I have few notes:
Shores may have felt like a victim but she just created a boatload of victims with among family, friends and the community. Contemplating suicide? You might want to consider what your actions are going to do to others. Don't just think of yourself, get help.
While teens aren't know for their long-range thinking, it's sadly ironic that this girls life was almost certainly going to get better as she moved on to a promising college career. It's amazing how caught up you get in what's going on around you in high school but only weeks after graduation begin to realize how stupid it all was.
Not long before I heard the news of this incident yesterday, I was looking at my 25th high school reunion web site (the reunion was in 2003 but the site is still there). There is a memoriam page that lists classmates that have died. One of them knew he had cancer at our graduation. In light of yesterday's news I couldn't help but think how he didn't have the option of keeping his life.
Where the fuck did she get the gun? I know there are hundreds of ways to kill yourself but this made it all the easier. If you must have a gun, please keep it locked up.
Finally, to the extent that bullying played any part in this, I think we all need to consider the consequences of mistreating others.
7 comments:
You hit the nail on the head.
High School is an institution more like prison than any other, and many leave it with clentched teeth, and fist.
This girl would have moved onto college, and felt the yoke of social oppression lift off her.
My prayers are with her, her family, and friends.
ET
By the way I stole the High School like Prison line from Stephen King.
I live just an hour from Auburn, Illinois. I don't know what lessons (if any) can come from this.
Personally, I'm going to spend more time talking with my kids and letting them know they are loved and accepted. This just breaks my heart.
This was published on June 7th in the Springfield Journal Register (www.sj-r.com)....
Why did Chelsey Shores die?
Librarian found her upbeat about chances of having the last laugh
By LISA KERNEK
STAFF WRITER
AUBURN - Chelsey Shores was quiet, smart and loved to read.
She was also a target for other students at school, who picked on her for the way she looked and dressed.
Laura Carter, a librarian who often saw Shores at the Auburn public library, thought Shores - this year's valedictorian at Auburn High School - would have the last laugh.
"I joked with her that the profession she was going into, she could come back in 15 years and blow all of us out of the water," Carter said. "She was laughing and said, 'That would be neat.'
"I was hoping that would be how she was going to get back at everybody."
Carter had that conversation with Shores on Friday. On Monday, Shores died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. She was found lying near a picnic table in Auburn Township Park on the edge of this town of 3,700 people. Auburn is 20 miles south of Springfield.
Shores was one of 62 seniors who graduated from Auburn High School May 27. She was to study biochemistry this fall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
As Carter and others struggled to understand Shores' death, they searched for clues in the odd valedictory speech she gave on May 27. In the brief speech, Shores said, "People will judge you unfairly and they can make your life unbearable."
Shores went on to advise her classmates to "simply persevere." The speech was reprinted in The Auburn Citizen weekly newspaper on June 2 and in The State Journal-Register on Tuesday.
"I'm sure every teacher, every person like me, just feels that pang of guilt. Could I have said something?" Carter said Tuesday.
"She had the guts to get this off her chest. Obviously, she took it way more to heart than anybody knew."
Carter, whose daughter was in Shores' class, had known Shores since both girls were in kindergarten. Carter is a former school librarian, and she recalled that other children would call Shores names and giggle behind her back.
Carter said Shores was "self-conscious, yet held her head up high."
Shores was tall, wore funky black eyeglass frames and drove a Volkswagen Bug. She came into the Auburn public library two to three times a week to check out movies and books. Her taste in books ran to science fiction and the classics. She also borrowed non-fiction books to help her study, Carter said.
The characteristically shy Shores was more talkative than usual on Friday, talking to Carter for at least 20 minutes and laughing.
"I felt better about her than I had in years," Carter said. "I will be haunted by that conversation for the rest of my life."
Justin Stuva, 19, was working at the library Friday when Shores had her conversation with Carter.
"We were talking about how she's going to make a new start when she goes to U of I," Stuva said. "She made it through the hardest part. Once you go away to college, everything's a lot better."
Stuva graduated from Auburn High School in 2004 and was in the National Honor Society with Shores.
"She had everything going for her," Stuva said.
Stuva said Shores was quiet and kept to herself, but "if you actually knew her, she was a very sweet girl."
Auburn High School made counselors available Tuesday in the school library. School Superintendent Kathy Garrett declined to answer questions about Shores. Garrett said she had talked to Shores' family on Tuesday and that the family had requested privacy.
Shores lived with her 16-year-old brother and their mother, Beverly Shores, who works nights at a nursing home in Auburn. Chelsey's grandfather, Walter Nicholls, had run Nicholls & Sons Hardware on the square in Auburn. The business opened in 1932 and closed following Nicholls' death in December.
Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone said Shores died of a single gunshot wound to the head. A Glock 9 mm pistol was found nearby. Boone said she did not know who owned the gun but that she believed it had come from the family residence. An inquest is to be held in the next couple of weeks.
Boone said Shores died at 9:01 a.m. Monday. The girl had been in the park only a short time before she was discovered by someone who lived near the park, the coroner said.
Shores left no note, Boone said.
Auburn Township Park is just beyond the edge of Auburn. Shores was found in a picnic area, underneath a grove of trees near a two-lane road. The park overlooks farm fields.
On Tuesday, mourners had left roses, a toy stuffed butterfly, a toy stuffed bear and a handwritten note on the picnic table.
Boone said she spent a lot of time with Shores' family on Monday.
"I think her mom was aware that she had some problems with the kids at school," Boone said. But "they were totally unaware that she was this troubled.
I graduated from Auburn High some 25 years ago and must say from the day I set foot in that town to the day I left minutes after graduation my school life was a living hell. Every time I read a story about a kid who went on a killing spree or killed themselves over being tortured by others my anger about my own school days comes to a boil. I can relate to why these kids do what they do. Parents need to talk to their kids about the damage they do by teasing and torturing others. The damage they do can never be repaired. Life after high school does get better, in fact a lot better. For some reason once high school ends even the bullies grow up.
While this is a sad tragedy, no one will ever know the complete story. To blame the high school girls that Chelsey went to school with is insane. I knew Chelsey, and she had numerous problems in her life, not just a handful of "mean" girls.
I am very sad about this. I was a recent valedictorian at AHS, and I can relate to how difficult it can be to be a good student. Being unpopular and awkward was difficult, especially when I wanted acceptance and friendship more than anything…more than straight A’s! But, we do what we can to make our way. We all have problems, for sure…the loners, the stoners, the bullies, the cliques, and even the popular kids, believe it or not. High school was traumatic at times, but so is life, and I manage to have some ups with the downs. Life is not always fun, but it always contains the possibility for goodness. It comes down to how we navigate what is already good--just being able to be alive and be human. I am still unpopular and awkward, somewhat of a loner, and I am accepting myself more and more. I also accept the tough times in high school…and the tough times now. All feelings—good or bad— are thankfully temporary, and come and go. I wish Chelsey would have taken her own advice to “persevere” and to discover that her situation would have improved and then have gotten bad again and then improved again...and so is the cycle of life. It just takes some getting used to. She must have been more depressed than we'll ever know—caught in those sad feelings— and my heart cries out to her and Auburn.
I went to High School at Auburn. I was a senior when Chelsey was an eighth grader and I was their PE help. The girls in that grade were brutally mean to one another.
My prayers are with Chelsey's family and friends. And I hope this will at least change the way people treat one another and hopefully the teachers there will stop this non-sense before another life is tragically taken.
I know from personal experience that most of the teachers at Auburn do what they can to help and support those who are hurting, and to end bullying when possible. I also know from personal experience that many teachers reached out to Chelsey, and she did not want that help. However, it is not just the school's job...it is not just the administration's job. Everyone needs to get involved. People are talking as if they were Chelsey's friend. Where were you when she was being bullied? Chelsey was treated just like any other student in that class at that school. There are many factors involved that we will never know. Although it is easy to blame others, especially the school, no one forced Chelsey to take her own life. That was her unfortunate decision. Instead of pointing fingers, help those who are left behind.
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