The Best Buddies and Sources of Strength clubs organized a meeting at lunch on Tuesday, Dec. 3, to write cards to the family of a recently deceased student.
According to her obituary, Eve Romand-Heuyer was 18 when she “passed away peacefully” at home on Nov. 27. She’s described as having loved “to sing, draw, write, read, and go to school,” and as having had a smile that could “magically fill the room with joy and laughter.” Romand-Heuyer was a member of Walter Johnson’s Learning For Independence (LFI) community, as well as Best Buddies. As part of the latter she was matched with a buddy, which for this year was senior Cecelia Robinson.
“Last year we did a Just Dance party and we were all dancing at lunch, and Eve came into the dance circle and she kind of gravitated towards me because we had the same energy,” Robinson said. “This year, I decided I wanted to get to know her better.”
Best Buddies had originally booked the Student Commons in collaboration with Sources of Strength for an unrelated meeting, but quickly shifted its focus once officers learned of Romand-Heuyer’s death. Attendees were provided with sheets of paper and art supplies to make cards for her family, and students were still writing when lunch ended.
“She was a very big part of our chapter, and so we decided to dedicate the meeting to her and write cards to her family that all of the officers are going to give to her family at the funeral,” senior Sadie Morgenstern, Best Buddies president, said. “It’s great to see how much love and support there is in this club.”
The meeting was well attended, with many students who knew her taking the opportunity to support each other and Romand-Heuyer’s family.
“We got everyone sitting at tables talking to each other, working with each other, so I think we really succeeded in coming together,” senior Sophie Amalyan, Sources of Strength vice president, said.
A number of staff members were also present, including those who knew her and sponsors of the relevant clubs.
“I think it shows a lot of support,” said Steve Sutherland, LFI teacher and a Best Buddies adviser at other schools for 19 years. “Eve was very important to this group, she always wore Best Buddies clothes from bottom to top, and so I think she’d be very happy.”
Moving forward, Best Buddies is considering methods of ensuring Romand-Heuyer is never forgotten.
“We’re thinking of making a bench in her honor outside the LFI classrooms so that she has a permanent seat in the club,” Morgenstern said. “We never want to forget her.”
LFI teacher Kimberly Perikles, who taught Romand-Heuyer, said that she was a responsible, compassionate and intelligent student who led by example and knew how to make others feel good about themselves.
“We have kids who don’t want to go out for a fire alarm, they start to panic. We almost have had to carry kids out,” Perikles said. “She would always be one of the last ones out of the room, but it wasn’t because she was slow. It was because she was getting everybody out.”
Although the school community wasn’t notified of the funeral, it was attended by a significant number of teachers, paraprofessionals, students and Best Buddies.
“She was important to everybody,” Perikles said. “Everybody who knew her loved her.”
Memorial contributions can be made to Best Buddies of Maryland, at bestbuddies.org/maryland/donate.
This story was updated on Dec. 13 to correct the attribution of a quote. Senior Sophie Amalyan was mistakenly referred to as president of Sources of Strength. Amalyan is vice president; senior Bella Rose Liu is president.
