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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 7, 2008 - 3 Blakelock honours a life cut short By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A young maple tree was planted on the grounds of T.A. Blakelock High School Friday afternoon as more than 30 students and teachers looked on, many with tears in their eyes. The tree, a symbol of life, was placed in the earth in memory of a life that was taken too soon. The ceremony was held in honour of Drew Hildebrand, 16, a popular Grade 11 student at the school, who died in April from injuries sustained during a fight at a house party. Despite the tears, it was a "happy day" for the family and a good opportunity to remember Drew, according to Catherine Simmons, Drew's grandmother, whom he affectionately called "Nana." Simmons praised students and staff at T.A. Blakelock for their love and support during this very difficult time for the Hildeband family. The tree planting was a "beautiful idea," she said. "This is very special for us and it is nice the students thought of something like this," she said. "It says a lot about Drew's friends and this school especially." Simmons described Drew as a boy who loved music, his family and his friends. "He was incredibly loyal to his friends and one of the kindest and most gentle people you'd want to meet," she said. "We keep hearing all these stories from people we don't even know who loved him." Several other family members attended the planting. They described the 16 year old as "kind, wonderful, caring and amazing." Devan Stojakovich, 15, spent most of her childhood with Drew as the two were cousins. She has many good memories of spending weekends at the cottage together and playing tricks on their family members. "My mom said we were like two peas in a pod because we did everything together," said Stojakovich. "He was the nicest person you'll ever meet and I don't know anyone who didn't like him. He was definitely special." It has been emotionally draining dealing with the loss, but fam- PHOTOS BY CHRIS KORNACKI / OAKVILLE BEAVER MOVING CEREMONY: Family members (l-r) Devan Stojakovich (cousin), Cindy Simmons (aunt) and Crystal Hildebrand (mother) have a moment of silence for Drew Hildebrand during the memorial service at T. A. Blakelock High School, Friday afternoon. Drew's father (below) Jay Hildebrand helps dig the hole for a maple tree planted in memory of his son. ily members are taking it one day at a time, according to Drew's brother Warren Hildebrand, 18, a Grade 12 student at T.A. Blakelock. He said his brother would have liked having a tree planted in his honour. "We liked hanging out and going to school together," he recalled. "This tree is in a good location and when people see the tree, they can reflect on all the memories they had with him." Friends wrote messages on stones at Friday's ceremony that were placed under the roots of the newly planted tree. Many wiped away tears as they took turns shoveling the fresh sod. Lyall McGovern, one of Drew's best friends for the past four years, said his friend was the best person he knew. He helped organize the tree planting ceremony. "We chose to plant a tree because it will grow and be here a long time and when everyone is gone, the tree and the plaque will still be here," he said. "It's about life." Those who knew the young man say they still have trouble dealing with the tragedy that unfolded on March 29 when a 15year-old was thrown out of an Oakville house party after allegedly trying to start a fight with Drew. Police said when the boy was thrown out of the house, he waited outside for Drew to emerge. A brief altercation between the two ensued. It was during the scuffle that Drew fell to the ground where he struck his head on a driveway curb. Other partygoers separated the two, at which point the accused left the area while Drew walked home. During the night, Drew became ill and the following day he was taken to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children suffering from severe head injuries. He lapsed into a coma and remained on life support for 10 days before his death on April 2. The 15-year-old involved in the incident, who cannot be named because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, has been charged with manslaughter. Angela Saunders, the social worker at T.A. Blakelock, said Drew's death deeply affected the student body, with many taking note of his senseless death. "I heard kids talking about two students, who were fighting and another student stepped in and said, `You're not going to do that. We've already lost a student that way,'" she said. Saunders said Drew was a good student, who never got into trouble and was respected by his peers. She said he will be missed in the halls of the school. "When someone dies, people talk after the fact about how nice that person was, but everyone told him that and Drew knew that when he was here," she said. "Drew was a phenomenal student and his friends are taking his lead." The students at the school have shown their support for Drew by purchasing T-shirts designed in his memory by a fellow student. Sales of the shirts have raised more than $2,500, which has contributed to the more than $8,000 donated in Drew's name to the Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, which is the family's chosen charity. "I cannot thank the students enough for their generosity, love and kindness," said Simmons. "They have all been so amazing and we can't say enough kind things about them." DRIVEWISE good drivers arent born, they're built MTO Approved DriveWise Beginner Driver Education program Which INCLUDES Virtual Reality Simulation In-class with simulation & in-vehicle Upcoming summer courses Snow in July? We guarantee you will experience it at DriveWise! 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