Deadly crash after DUI consciousness program shakes Rancho Cotate neighborhood

About 100 college students gathered within the Rancho Cotate High School quad Friday night, April 17, many wearing white and carrying the quantity 25, the identical quantity that adorned the Cougar soccer jersey as soon as worn by Niko Vargas Ortiz.

Joined by members of the family, school and some emotional help canines, the scholars stood collectively in grief that has gripped the college neighborhood following a automobile crash that ended their 17-year-old classmate’s life and injured 4 different youngsters, together with the driving force. All college students have been both former or present college students at Rancho Cotate, in line with a letter college officers despatched to folks after the crash.

The vigil ended every week of mourning throughout Rancho Cotate High and the broader Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Six days earlier, they discovered Vargas Ortiz died in a Novato crash authorities say concerned drunken driving.

On the Thursday and Friday earlier than the deadly crash Saturday, April 11, Rancho Cotate college students participated within the “Every 15 Minutes” program, a two-day academic initiative to indicate highschool college students the real-world affect of driving whereas underneath the affect. When a automobile carrying 5 teenagers crashed right into a utility pole in Novato, the college neighborhood noticed simply how harmful – and actual – the results may be.

In truth, some college students discovered it hit too near house to imagine.

“The emails that got here out from me Saturday morning asserting the crash, folks nonetheless thought it was a part of the ‘Every 15 Minutes’ presentation, Superintendent Maite Iturri stated.

The college week that adopted the crash was heavy, Iturri stated. Due to the variety of college students concerned – lots of whom have grown up in Rohnert Park and attended elementary, center and highschool within the district – almost each college campus mourned in their very own means.

“These are the students, the children, the babies we raised in this community,” Iturri stated. “The impact has been far and wide … . Something this tragic, involving so many students, has a huge impact on everyone and in different ways.”

At Rancho Cotate on Monday, college students created “Notes to Niko,” a memorial wall adorned by Post-it notes stuffed with tales or recollections of Vargas Ortiz handwritten by fellow college students. A small desk in entrance of the wall displayed an image of Vargas Ortiz throughout a soccer sport and the scholar’s jersey, quantity 25, hung behind a chair.

One pupil wrote: “We love you and will miss that smile.”

Those notes can be given to the Vargas household, Rancho Cotate High Principal Heather Ramme stated.

“Throughout the week, students and staff have come together to honor Niko’s memory,” Ramme stated in a written assertion Thursday, April 16. “Our hearts are with Niko’s family, the other students who were injured, and everyone who loved him.”

Resources for grieving college students and workers have been obtainable throughout the district’s 12 campuses, Iturri stated.

Sonoma County Office of Education and Petaluma City Schools despatched their very own psychological well being suppliers to assist the anticipated inflow of scholars on the lookout for a trusted grownup to talk with; chaplains visited and volunteers introduced service canines to campuses; and the district offered substitutes for any lecturers who wanted to take a psychological well being day.

“I think people have been very appreciative that we’ve had such a coordinated effort but it’s almost never enough,” Iturri stated. “Schools definitely don’t have enough mental health support so I’m concerned about the ongoing, what’s going to happen from here.”

Iturri acknowledged the long-lasting affect the dying of a peer can have on college students and stated the superintendent’s precedence is to seek out strategies to maintain the strong sources now current on college campuses.

Classes resumed as regular Monday, April 13, at Rancho Cotate. Just two days faraway from the crash, numerous college students advised The Press Democrat the crash was a subject of dialog throughout campus. Not everybody knew these concerned, however it was nonetheless surreal to know college students from the identical college have been concerned in such a tragedy.

“People were trying to find out who it was and who knew what happened,” one pupil stated. “I think everyone is wondering if it was someone they’ve seen before.”

As the neighborhood continues to course of the loss, district officers say the main target is shifting towards supporting each the injured college students and the broader college neighborhood within the weeks and months forward.

“We still have concern about the students who were injured in the accident and we are monitoring that situation,” Iturri stated. “We will make sure those students have what they need when they return to our campuses. There is ongoing concern until we know there isn’t.”

Authorities say the crash occurred simply earlier than 1 a.m. April 11 on the intersection of San Marin Drive and Simmons Lane in Novato, the place officers responded to a number of 911 calls reporting a single-vehicle collision.

Police discovered 5 teenagers, ages 16 to 18, affected by main accidents. All 5 teenagers have been transported to the hospital, the place one passenger — later recognized as Vargas-Ortiz — died. Investigators decided the 17-year-old driver was inebriated.

The standing of these injured remained unsure days after the crash. In an April 13 replace, Novato police stated 4 occupants of the automobile — together with the driving force — have been nonetheless hospitalized in secure situation and had not but been launched.

Authorities stated the driving force, who’s a minor and has not been publicly recognized, is anticipated to be arrested on suspicion of driving underneath the affect as soon as the driving force is launched from the hospital.

By early Saturday, April 18, no formal fees had been introduced by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. Novato police stated no there have been no updates on the investigation Saturday.

According to Iturri, the tragedy has underscored the significance of constant conversations round decision-making and security amongst youngsters, even after packages like “Every 15 Minutes” conclude.

District leaders say these questions will stay on the forefront as Rancho Cotate and the broader Rohnert Park neighborhood start the lengthy means of therapeutic.

At the student-organized vigil Friday, April 17, college useful resource Officer Debbie Lamaison stated the previous week has been troublesome however highlighted the extent of help introduced onto campus in response to the tragedy.

“The Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District has done an amazing job at rallying support from a lot of different agencies to have here on campus to support all the kids and the staff,” Lamaison stated.

Lamaison stated she spent the whole lot of her shift on campus the Monday after the crash, providing help to college students, lots of whom Lamaison is aware of personally, together with some concerned within the collision.

“I’m just here to support the kids because I have a lot of really close relationships with a lot of them, and knew the kids that were in the accident,” Lamaison stated.

Lamaison additionally stated the tragedy highlights the necessity for extra frequent schooling round impaired driving and passenger security.

“I think we should have an assembly regarding drinking and driving and getting into vehicles when you know the driver is under the influence,” Lamaison stated. “We should be doing that every year.”

Iturri agreed the college district is now confronted with the mammoth activity of supporting grieving college students by way of the lack of certainly one of their very own, in addition to persevering with to discourage driving underneath the affect.

“There’s no greater, more profound or horrible feeling and reality than to hear that your child has been injured or passed in a situation like this,” Iturri stated. “How do we continue to educate and impress upon kids that they are not indestructible … how do we continue to educate and prevent tragedies like this as a community?”

Staff Writer Colin Atagi contributed to this story.

Report For America corps member Adriana Gutierrez covers schooling and youngster welfare points for The Press Democrat. You can attain her at Adriana.Gutierrez@pressdemocrat.com. You can attain Staff Writer Isabel Beer at Isabel.Beer@pressdemocrat.com.