The first shock came in December. A 15-year-old Memorial High School freshman was found dead at a home in what Frisco police called a possible double murder-suicide.
Just months later, the same Frisco high school reeled yet again when a 17-year-old junior was stabbed by another student at a school track meet on Wednesday, dying in his twin brother’s arms.
The most recent tragedy has put the school and the Frisco Independent School District in the painful role of guiding its campus and community through grief.
Related:Frisco ISD student fatally stabbed at high school track meet
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Austin Metcalf died from his stab wounds at the David Kuykendall Stadium, despite receiving life-saving efforts from police and fire personnel. Police arrested Karmelo Anthony, a 17-year-old student at nearby Centennial High School, on a murder charge. Jail records, as of Thursday afternoon, did not show an attorney for Anthony.
Metcalf’s death quickly prompted an outpouring of grief online and in person.
A stream of prayers and condolences cascaded under his final social media posts on Instagram and X. A GoFundMe campaign to support his family with funeral expenses had raised close to $150,000.
“We send our kids to school every morning with the expectation that we are going to see them again when we return home from work. We expect them to go to safe schools and come home safe. I have twins of my own, I’m just so sorry for your loss,” said Vikas Jain in a public message to the GoFundMe campaign. Jain, who identified as a Frisco resident, donated $50.
On Wednesday night, the Hope Fellowship Church in Frisco also hosted a vigil for the teenager.
Related:Friends honor Austin Metcalf, victim of fatal Frisco track meet stabbing, on social mediaRelated:‘We were one person’: Twin brother, dad remember Frisco teen fatally stabbed at track meet
Principal Brook Fesco said in an email after the tragedy that district and campus counselors would be available Thursday to support students.
In her message to the community, Fesco asked parents to speak with their children before coming to school Thursday about coping with loss, supporting classmates and expressing their feelings. The principal also sent links offering guidance on how to cope with grief and encouraged students to talk with counselors.
The school has four counselors on staff, according to its directory.
The process was not entirely new for Memorial High.
Related:‘We were one person’: Twin brother, dad remember Frisco teen fatally stabbed at track meet
Just weeks before Christmas, Gavin Morris died in what police called a possible double murder-suicide at a home on Bancroft Lane. Also found dead were the boy’s father, 54-year-old Ronald Morris and the elder Morris’ girlfriend, 53-year-old Stacey White. Frisco police didn’t immediately respond to a Thursday request asking for an update on the case.
News of the deaths left neighbors of the northern Frisco subdivision shaken by the loss of life.
The loss also touched the school, prompting school officials to provide grief support to students.
Related:4 things to know about Frisco school district safety and security protocols
On social media, one person recalled how their daughter and the teen, who were in orchestra together, performed at a recent concert. Another post stressed how important it would be to have counselors at the high school to help students handle the loss.
The Frisco ISD said it could not confirm how many students enrolled in the district have died in the past year, from violence or any other reason. It also declined to make Memorial High’s principal available for an interview.
Stephanie Elad, a Frisco school board member running for reelection, said students and parents at the district are living in a “different world” than they were just a decade ago.
In the past two days, parents at the school have reached out to Elad, she said, to share their shock and grief over the high school’s recent deaths.
“None of this happened when I was in high school,” Elad said during a candidate interview with The Dallas Morning News editorial board. “You never had to worry about anything like this, but this is the world that we live in.”
