Today I found out that last month one of my former students died in a motorcycle accident. It's not the first time that one of my students has died, but it really never gets any easier.

John Samuel was in my geometry class, probably around 1999. He was a good student who worked hard. He was competitive about his grades, which was sometimes annoying but also helped him get the grades he wanted in my class. I remember him hanging around my classroom after class to talk to me, not just about school but about other things as well.

After high school John eventually ended up at UCLA. He graduated on June 17th of this year. Hours later, in the early morning hours, his motorcycle went over an embankment on the 405 freeway. John sustained fatal injuries in the accident.

I hadn't seen John at all since we both left Alemany. I was shocked and sad to hear of his death. Please join me in praying for his family and friends.