After Orem student’s suicide on field trip, child psychiatrist explains how classmates can begin to heal

A heartbreaking tragedy struck the Orem community of interests when a canon look at jr heights School student died on a class field trip on Wednesday. The ninth-grade student died after shooting himself with a loaded gun, which has been ruled a suicide, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

The Alpine School District mobilized resources to offer emotional support and counselling to students who witnessed the horror involving their classmate at South Fork Park in Provo Canyon, as reported by FOX 13.

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Eric Monson, child psychiatrist at the University of Utah, said, “Typically, when people are exposed to traumatic experiences, they will experience increased fear, being on edge.” He shared that they can experience “nightmares, flashbacks — all kinds of things like this can happen,” as reported by FOX 13.

Monsom emphasised the importance of parents carefully listening to their child's experiences and helping them to grapple with grief. He said, “Everything you can do to reasonably restore the routine your kids would normally go through, including things like being able to go to school.”

In addition to professional help, Monson also recommended using statewide resources like the SafeUT app and the Utah Warm Line (1-833-SPEAKUT), which offers support from crisis-trained peer specialists. However, restoring a sense of psychological safety in the aftermath of such a traumatic event may prove especially challenging.

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Alpine School District spokesperson Rich Stowell asked, “How does a gun get onto a school bus and a school field trip in this manner?” adding, “We’re going to be looking into that,” as reported by FOX 13.

Stowell noted that the students entered the school before departing for the trip. Currently, Alpine School District campuses do not have metal detectors, and there are no plans to introduce them. The spokesperson said, "It’s a tough balance. We want schools to be safe. What makes school safe is building a community of trusted students and a community of connection.”

In the meantime, district officials are focusing on supporting the grieving student's family and the wider community, which has been deeply affected by the tragedy.

Stowell added, “It’s up to each of us to help build that community in a positive way. Make a new friend, have those conversations, and let’s just keep an eye on each other — that’s the best thing we can do."

The Utah County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the school district reviews potential safety measures moving forward.

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