Community Corner

Day in Late Student's Honor Helps School Remember 'Special Little Boy'

Students and staff at Baker Elementary School will hold Sean Fischel Day Friday, to honor the memory of the 7-year-old who died of an autoimmune disorder in January.

After her , Kim Fischel hoped that through his death, the people he knew, the people who were touched by his story, would come to see life the way she saw it.

"There’s an ultimate reason why this happened. I may never know what it is. But I think Sean’s love is living on in everybody," she said. "From the beginning, I wanted Sean to be remembered through the connectivity he's allowed me to see and everyone else to see."

Sean's former classmates and teachers at Baker Elementary School will try to live that message Friday, with a day dedicated to his memory.

Find out what's happening in Moorestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Baker principal Shelly Rowe said Sean's death——hit the students and staff hard.

"Everybody was just saddened by the loss, and wanted to be supportive to the family," said Rowe. "It was very difficult for the adults to understand how they'd have the strength to communicate (Sean's death) to the kids ... They handled a very delicate situation with great care."

Find out what's happening in Moorestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Not long after, Rowe and other school staff members, in collaboration with the Fishcel family, began planning a Sean Fischel Day framed around the concepts of family and connectedness.

"The day was planned to help all of us at Baker remember what a special little boy he was," Rowe said. 

She explained that students will be broken up into groups, or "families," with all grades mixed together, in which they'll participate in various activities. One of the activities is a "community puzzle": each student will decorate their own individual puzzle piece, and at the end of the day all the pieces will be put together. 

"So it all comes together to show we're all connected," said Rowe. "Sean really has given that to all of us."

Fischel said when the school initially reached out to her for her input when it began planning the day, she stressed the connectivity theme.

"It's just a thought and a theme that's helping me get through this grieving process," she said.

The day will conclude with a small parade around the back of the school, to the playground, where the school will dedicate a tree, a bench and a new piece of playground equipment in Sean's name. 

Campbell's Soup is donating T-shirts, snacks and water for the event, as well as the playground equipment, according to Rowe. Sean's father, Brian, works for Campbell's.

Fischel said she's overwhelmed by the lengths the school, and .

"It's beyond my expectations," she said. "I really only thought they were going to do something small ... The depth and breadth of the day is so touching. It is so touching how everybody just wants to be involved."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here