MUTED ATMOSPHERE AS PUPILS ATTEMPT TO COPE
Muted atmosphere as pupils attempt to cope
By Kathryn Torney
THE principal of Omagh High School is looking forward to the first time a pupil has to be taken to the side and be spoken to.
Then, Bill Harper says, he will know things are returning to some degree of normality.
The legacy of the Omagh bomb, in which two current pupils and three former pupils were killed, is still being felt among the staff and pupils one month on.
Alan Radford (16) and Lorraine Wilson (15) died alongside past pupils Samantha McFarland (17), Deborah Ann Cartwright (20) and Esther Gibson (36).
Six other pupils were quite seriously injured and two others remain in hospital.
Quite a few children are finding it hard to sleep at night, leading them to fall asleep in school.
"The atmosphere is quite subdued in the school at the moment," Mr Harper said. "I think what happened is even beyond the understanding of some of the children." A special assembly backed by the senior pupils, went ahead on the first day of term to mark the atrocity.
The principal told his 400 pupils "there is more to life than living and more to death than dying".
He advised them to work for quality in their lives as the bombing has taught that we do not know how long our lives will be.
The beginning of term was very difficult for those pupils coming in to class to find an empty chair where a friend had once sat.
In the two weeks before term, the school was opened up as a place where people could come and talk.
Since the bombing the bereaved parents have come up to the school simply to speak to the principal about their loved ones.
"In a rural area like this the school is a focus for the community," Mr Harper said.
"There is not much you can say to parents who have lost their children so I just try to share their experience and grief.
"They want to hear about their child, good points and bad, or things that are funny. Some of them are coping well but others are not.
"I do worry about the people who have been left behind. They have to grapple with the reality of what happened as well as hold on to their faith. I can only tell them there is no reason to their question Why?'"
He said that recent bomb hoaxes in the town have had a terrible effect on people.
"Some of them broke down in tears. I think it was a really sick thing to do."
Staff at the school have been briefed of how to look out for pupils who may be having problems.
Mr Harper has referred a few children to their GPs but he said: "I feel the pupils are quite resilient and remarkably caring for each other in times of stress."
He thinks the mood is still "uneasy" in the town at the moment and that many people are tired and emotionally drained.
"I think a lot of people are also having the experience of walking around the town or past a parked car and realising that it could have so easily have been them caught up in the blast."
Mr Harper predicts that Christmas will be a particularly hard time for everyone.
He said: "It will be hard to enjoy ourselves but we are hoping to paint a few of the rooms in the school a bit brighter or organise a concert for the children.
"But things will never be the same again and we can never forget the five pupils who died."
By Kathryn Torney
THE principal of Omagh High School is looking forward to the first time a pupil has to be taken to the side and be spoken to.
Then, Bill Harper says, he will know things are returning to some degree of normality.
The legacy of the Omagh bomb, in which two current pupils and three former pupils were killed, is still being felt among the staff and pupils one month on.
Alan Radford (16) and Lorraine Wilson (15) died alongside past pupils Samantha McFarland (17), Deborah Ann Cartwright (20) and Esther Gibson (36).
Six other pupils were quite seriously injured and two others remain in hospital.
Quite a few children are finding it hard to sleep at night, leading them to fall asleep in school.
"The atmosphere is quite subdued in the school at the moment," Mr Harper said. "I think what happened is even beyond the understanding of some of the children." A special assembly backed by the senior pupils, went ahead on the first day of term to mark the atrocity.
The principal told his 400 pupils "there is more to life than living and more to death than dying".
He advised them to work for quality in their lives as the bombing has taught that we do not know how long our lives will be.
The beginning of term was very difficult for those pupils coming in to class to find an empty chair where a friend had once sat.
In the two weeks before term, the school was opened up as a place where people could come and talk.
Since the bombing the bereaved parents have come up to the school simply to speak to the principal about their loved ones.
"In a rural area like this the school is a focus for the community," Mr Harper said.
"There is not much you can say to parents who have lost their children so I just try to share their experience and grief.
"They want to hear about their child, good points and bad, or things that are funny. Some of them are coping well but others are not.
"I do worry about the people who have been left behind. They have to grapple with the reality of what happened as well as hold on to their faith. I can only tell them there is no reason to their question Why?'"
He said that recent bomb hoaxes in the town have had a terrible effect on people.
"Some of them broke down in tears. I think it was a really sick thing to do."
Staff at the school have been briefed of how to look out for pupils who may be having problems.
Mr Harper has referred a few children to their GPs but he said: "I feel the pupils are quite resilient and remarkably caring for each other in times of stress."
He thinks the mood is still "uneasy" in the town at the moment and that many people are tired and emotionally drained.
"I think a lot of people are also having the experience of walking around the town or past a parked car and realising that it could have so easily have been them caught up in the blast."
Mr Harper predicts that Christmas will be a particularly hard time for everyone.
He said: "It will be hard to enjoy ourselves but we are hoping to paint a few of the rooms in the school a bit brighter or organise a concert for the children.
"But things will never be the same again and we can never forget the five pupils who died."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0415
Published Date: 15-Sep-98
Related Images
