Spartan Scuttlebutt:
Spartan of the Month - Bringing light to the darkness
By Greg Smith OAKMONT ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Tyler Berube stepped up after the recent death of fellow Oakmont junior, Jordyn Kalagher, to help his fellow students grieve and seek comfort. COURTESY PHOTO

Sometimes life's difficulties and challenges bring out the best in people. In December the Oakmont family was stunned and saddened when we heard of the death of Jordyn Kalagher, a wonderful young lady. In the hours after learning of this terrible tragedy, there was a tremendous surge of support and outreach from many people in the Ashburnham-Westminster community that helped us all deal with the sense of loss.

Within the student body there was one young man who reached out to his fellow students in a very special and unique way.

Tyler Berube, a junior who hopes one day to enter the priesthood, was chosen as the December Spartan of the Month for his efforts to organize and lead a healing prayer service on that difficult day after Jordyn's death.

"I saw people crying and upset and I was also feeling depressed," is how Tyler described his reaction to his grief and that of the Oakmont community. "The best thing I could do was to help people not feel so hurt, and I thought, 'What would a future priest do in a time of mourning?'"

So Tyler sought out the administration and asked if he could organize a prayer service for the Oakmont community. After some discussion, it was decided to invite clergymen from Ashburnham and Westminster to help lead the service. Without question, five pastors from the two towns quickly agreed to join the Oakmont family in the service later that afternoon.

Tyler then prepared his own message of comfort.

"I searched the Internet and found a prayer called, 'Prayer for the Departed,'" Tyler explained. "Then I changed it a bit so it would have more meaning for us."

At the end of the school day students were invited to come to the gym to participate in a voluntary prayer service. (Students who chose not to participate were welcome to remain in their classrooms.) More than half the student body filed quietly into the bleachers, many of them sobbing and hugging one another. Tyler stood in front of the gym with the other clergymen and waited for everyone to be seated.

"I was a little nervous at first, but then I saw my sister and my best friend," Tyler recalled. "I was thinking more about the sadness of the people in front of me. I was there for them."

Tyler then stepped forward, took the microphone, and read his message of comfort to the grieving Oakmont community with poise and compassion. Each pastor then took his turn to offer a brief prayer or message.

When the service was over, many students and teachers expressed their thanks to Tyler for his part in setting up the prayer service and his words of healing.

"I've never really been hugged in the hallway before," he said. "I knew that my words meant something to people and that made me feel good."

Tyler, who is the son of Debbie and Chris Berube of Ashburnham, hopes to attend Anna Maria or Assumption College after graduation and study for the priesthood.

Since his sophomore year he has attended retreats and workshops to gain more information about vocations and the life of a priest. In addition to his studies here at Oakmont, Tyler also runs the mile and throws the javelin as a member of the track team.

In the dark and sad days of December, the Spartan of the Month, Tyler Berube, stepped forward to bring some light and comfort to all in the Oakmont community.

"I wanted to help the people around me," he explained simply, "because that's what priests do."