Student Deaths Prompt Parent Support Meeting at Kirkwood High

Counselors will facilitate a meeting with parents Thursday evening in the Kirkwood High School cafeteria.

This summer Kirkwood High School saw the deaths of two students: Cameron Vennard, a rising freshman and Adrienne Meckes, a rising senior. To help parents support their children, counselors from BJC Behavioral Health and Kirkwood High School will facilitate a parent meeting Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. in the KHS cafeteria. "As we begin the 2012-13 school year, our school community continues to struggle with how to deal with our grief," KHS Principal Mike Havener says in a letter informing parents of the meeting. Read related Patch stories:

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'Cam Jam' Touches Hearts of Kirkwood

Those who attended the music memorial for Cameron Vennard say the concert was an inspiring success.

Cameron Vennard was probably jamming out to the tunes that filled Kirkwood Station Plaza in his honor last Thursday. At least that's the opinion of one person who commented on a photo of the concert posted by the Kirkwood School District to its Facebook page. For the teen who loved music and bringing a smile to the faces of those around him, there couldn't have been a more appropriate tribute than a show. "Cam loved music so we thought a 'Cam Jam' was a great way to honor Cam's memory. We will play songs by Cam's favorite artists,' said Dillon Wilfong, Cam's friend and member of The Sages Band, on Reverb Nation.  The photo on the Facebook page is of the Sages performing to a crowd in Downtown Kirkwood. Donations at the show will go toward …

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Fox2Now Video: Coverage of 'Cam Jam'

The benefit concert in Kirkwood for Cameron Vennard has captured the attention of St. Louis.

Cameron Vennard loved music and loved to laugh. He spread those passions with those around him. Therefore it's appropriate that Vennard's memory lives on through a music scholarship fund at Nipher Middle School. Vennard graduated from Nipher and was a rising freshman at Kirkwood High School when he was killed by an Amtrak train in May. A benefit concert tonight in Kirkwood is raising money for the fund. Visit Fox2Now for coverage of the event. We are asking those who attend Cam Jam to upload pictures of the event to our Pics&Clips gallery. Remember to include a caption and feel free to include any memories about Cam. Previous articles on Kirkwood Patch:

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'Cam Jam' Will Memorialize Cameron Vennard, Killed by Train

The concert a week from today is a fundraiser for a Nipher Middle School scholarship.

This information is from the "Cam Jam" Facebook page advertising a memorial concert for Cameron Vennard, the Nipher Middle School student killed when he was struck by an Amtrak passenger train on May 30. A benefit concert called "Cam Jam" and is being coordinated by family and friends of Cam Vennard. The concert will feature The Sages Band with special appearances by Ben Vennard, Aaron Doerr, Ian Johnson and Owen Wilhelms. The "Cam Jam" will be Thursday, July 12, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Kirkwood Station Plaza. "Cam loved music so we thought a "Cam Jam" was a great way to honor Cam's memory. We will play songs by Cam's favorite artists," said Dillon Wilfong, Cam's friend, neighbor and member of The Sages Band. The concert is free and tax-…

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Editor's Notebook

Fallen Teen Lives on Through Facebook Page

A day after Cameron Vennard's tragic passing, an open Facebook group was created to celebrate his life. Now the group has 621 members and continues to grow.

Some say Cameron Vennard resembled a young David Gilmour of Pink Floyd; Father's Day was hard this year for Darryl this year; and a friend's thoughts wandered back to Cam and his family at a funeral. The reflections combine with YouTube videos, wrist bands, a tattoo and photos to form Cam Vennard 5-30, an open Facebook group for the teen whose life ended less than a month ago after being struck by an Amtrak train in Kirkwood.  The group that started a day after Cam's passing has 621 members and continues to grow. "We have been enjoying the different pics and stories about Cam. Please keep posting, it is very comforting," Father Darryl Vennard wrote on the page June 12. I didn't know Cam and I don't know his family other than a very brief …

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Letter to the Editor

Friend of Vennard Family: 'Thank You Kirkwood'

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Donna Eisenberg, a friend of Cameron Vennard's family.

Dear City of Kirkwood; No matter how many times I try to write this letter, it will never be eloquent enough, thankful enough, or heart felt enough. No matter what I write, it just won’t possibly be enough. Just over two short weeks ago, a member of your community was lost. As most all of you know, 14-year-old Cameron Herrin Vennard was in a tragic accident that ended his life on earth. Cameron was the son of two loving and amazing parents and the brother of two wonderful young men. All of which are fellow residents of Kirkwood. I am fortunate to call this family my very close friends, and to be considered “favorite Aunt Donna, ” three of my favorite words, by Cam, Ben and Nick. I have to tell you how grateful I am and how grateful we all …

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Chief on Cameron Vennard: 'Primary Obligation Is to Family of Deceased'

Kirkwood Police Chief Jack Plummer explains the department's decision about when to release the name of Cameron Vennard after concerns from the media.

Kirkwood Police Chief Jack Plummer sent the following letter to media outlets after the death of Cameron Vennard on May 30. The letter explains why the Kirkwood Police Department decided not to release Vennard's name the afternoon of his tragic passing. The 14 year old teenager who was struck and killed by an Amtrak train while walking on the railroad tracks yesterday afternoon has been identified as Cameron Herrin Vennard. He resided with family in Oakland Missouri. I have received a couple of inquiries from the media who felt that we should have released the young man’s name yesterday afternoon. I understand and respect the desire of the media to report information as soon as possible. However, the police department’s primary obligation …

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Kirkwood Des Peres Area Chamber of Commerce

9:13 am on Thursday, June 7, 2012

You did the right thing Chief!   more ›

VIDEO: Concert for Cameron Vennard

Youth rockers Lunar Levitation performed at Wydown Park on Thursday, one day after the death of Oakland resident Cameron Vennard.

A group of St. Louis youth rockers dedicated an end-of-the-school-year concert May 31 to a friend who died after being hit by a train. Lunar Levitation performed at Clayton's Wydown Park in honor of 14-year-old Oakland resident Cameron Vennard, who died one day earlier in Kirkwood. Chill Frozen Yogurt sponsored the event. The band is composed of 14-year-old guitarist and vocalist Dillon Wilfong, a close friend of Cameron; guitarist Liam Terrio, age 14; guitarist Henry Dieckhaus, age 13; bassist Sigmund Gusdorf, age 15; and drummer Dominic Anzalone, age 12. The members met at Camp Jam, a summer band camp. Wilfong and Terrio are part of another band called The Sages. More about Cameron Vennard:

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Letter to the Editor

Cameron Vennard: A Life, Not a 'Life Lesson'

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Annabel Dolan, who graduated with Cameron Vennard from Nipher Middle School.

On all the news sites, when you see articles about Cam's death, all the comments talk about lessons to be learned, and how kids should pay more attention, and that parents need to teach their kids to be smarter about electronics and common sense. Do you really think this is what we want to be hearing right now? Our community of peers and friends has lost someone extremely dear to our hearts, and instead of sharing in our grief, adults around us use this as a time to scold teenagers. No one is to blame for what happened. It was a tragic accident. Could it have been prevented? Possibly, but not in the sense that good life lessons should be learned. Just in his death, my friends and I were given a striking reminder of what we were taught in …

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