The end of an eight-day leadership retreat in northwest suburban Algonquin ended tragically for three West Side teens.
The end of an eight-day leadership retreat in northwest suburban Algonquin ended tragically for three West Side teens.
The boys were among 31 male students from North Lawndale College Prep high school on an annual leadership retreat at Camp Algonquin in northwest suburban Algonquin. The teens drowned early Friday morning after the paddleboat they attempted to take out for a ride in Fox River immediately sank, officials said.
All three boys have been identified as Jimmie Avant, 16, Melvin Choice, 17, and Adrian Jones, 16, according to the McHenry County coroner’s office.
Choice, a junior and a guard on the basketball team at North Lawndale, was pulled to shore by divers shortly before 6 a.m. The others were recovered after 8 a.m.
The boat, that was not motorized, had its plugs taken out because they were out of service for the winter season. The students apparently didn’t know the boat was not safe for the waters and set out for a boat ride, an Algonquin Fire Department spokesperson said.
All of the students had been told to stay away from the water by camp officials, according to the Linda Fauser, director of the camp.
Calls to emergency services about a capsized boat came in about 2:30 a.m., said Julie Didier, spokesperson for the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District.
Didier said all three bodies were found at least 25 feet off the shore and when the calls came in to emergency services, the area was completely dark and the current was "pretty intensive."
When word of the drownings broke, the staff started arriving at the West Side school to brace students for the news about their peers.
"They were some dynamic young men, that’s why they were chosen for the retreat," said Lacael Pratt, assistant principal of North Lawndale, adding that the students are "taking it pretty hard."
Students, who did not want to be identified, said the boys sneaked pass sleeping chaperones and went out on the water.
Grief counselors are at the school, however, one parent of a student who did not attend the retreat said the students who showed up for school are understandably overwhelm with grief, and parents are allowed to take their children home for the day.
"All the kids are crying. They (school staff and counselors) are in the auditorium trying to talk to them and counsel them. Some of the kids can’t really handle the news," Maurice Williams said while picking up his son from school.
Williams said as he walked the halls, many students held balloons and signed poster boards in memory of their classmates.
His son, Maurice Williams Jr., was on the basketball team with Choice and said they both also played baseball for the school.
"This is tough for everyone, especially his girlfriend. She’s not doing too good," the younger Williams said. ______ Copyright 2008 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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