After the McManus tragedy, the community’s actions defined the true meaning of SLP Strong. The incredible amount of support, love and dedication displayed by teachers, counselors and students shows strength in coping with adversity.

To show support for the McManus family, residents throughout St. Louis Park hung orange balloons and streamers outside of their homes.

A Facebook group titled “Missing: Damian and Evan McManus” continues to allow friends, family and supporters of the McManus family to share inspiration and hope to help one another find comfort during these hard times. The 6,453 members in this group show the breadth of the support net.

This support has also been shown at the school. We commend the school district for promptly contacting the student body with important information regarding the tragedy and for providing support groups.

The student body showed support by attending a lacrosse game to help raise funds for the McManus family. Seniors also created a video and painted the wall in honor of Evan and Damian McManus.

Teachers and students at Park support one another to help overcome the recent loss of a treasured student and classmate. Anonymous students gave teachers small gifts as a gesture of consolation. Teachers have shown flexibility in deadlines and have been extremely understanding and considerate of student’s emotions.

The school provides many resources to help deal with tragedies. We encourage students to continue to seek out help and take advantage of these resources by attending a de-briefing session or by visiting the counseling office. We also encourage students and teachers to continue to show support for one another.

The community can continue to support the McManus family by contributing to a fund at Citizens Independent Bank. To make a contribution, send checks to Citizens Independent Bank 5000 West 36th St. c/o Lambert Lum for the McManus family fund.