Return to school difficult for students after teen’s death

Kyle Hansen

Coronado students, friends and family members gather at the site of the Friday accident that killed Olivia Brandise “Lynn” Hyten. From left: Ashlee Erickson, a Foothill senior; Jake McCormick, a Coronado freshman who witnessed the crash; Jake’s sister Makenzie, a seventh-grader at Del Webb Middle School; Tina Mendoza and her son Anthony, a Coronado junior who had a class with Olivia last year.

By Frances Vanderploeg (contact)

Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 | 1:40 p.m.

The words "Lynn — Forever Loved and Never Forgotten" line a wall at the Anthem Hills Park skate park where 15-year-old Olivia "Lynn" Hyten spent much of her spare time.

A lone white candle flickered this morning in front of the makeshift memorial while her friends were in school. The remains of red and white candles already melted away dotted the pavement underneath.

Melted wax by the memorial and outside the fence were the only evidence of a vigil held Saturday.

"She sure loved to skate," Coronado High School Principal Lee Koelliker said of the sophomore.

The first day back to school since Hyten's death has been difficult for her friends and teachers, he said. The Clark County School District's crisis team spent the day at the school, offering eight additional counselors to work with the students and staff, if necessary.

Many students have asked to be sent home, Koelliker said, a place where they felt they could better deal with the crisis. Others have spent much of their time in groups or as individuals talking to a counselor.

"It's been a somber day," Koelliker said. "Olivia was a well-liked young lady."

The alcohol-related crash — teenager Michael Mosley drove the other truck, and was arrested for driving under the influence — happened just a month after Coronado students sat through "Every 15 Minutes," a presentation by the Henderson Police Department.

During the presentation, juniors and seniors sat in stands outside the school as three students were pulled from a mock car crash and the fourth was tested and arrested for DUI. For the rest of the day, a student volunteer is removed from class every 15 minutes to illustrate how many teenagers die from alcohol-related crashes. The event ends with an often emotional assembly the next day.

As a sophomore, Hyten would not have seen the presentation, though a video and discussion is presented to the freshmen and sophomore students in the days after the presentation.

Hyten's love of skating allowed her to touch many people, including Brandon Fort, 14, and Shea Torey, 13. The boys said they met her more than a year ago at the skate park.

"She was friends with everybody," Fort said.