Musselman High School

Wife, students remember New Smyrna Beach teacher killed while surfing

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Students and co-workers at New Smyrna Beach High School remembered Frederick "Fico" Fernandez on Monday morning as someone who immersed himself in life.

The 55-year-old New Smyrna Beach High School math teacher worked with students, had time with his family and played his harmonica before drowning Saturday morning while surfing the waves left in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

"He was a simple guy," Fernandez's wife, Debbe, 53, said Monday morning. "He loved playing harmonica, teaching, surfing and family."

Debbe Fernandez said her husband drowned after striking his head and losing consciousness while surfing the shore break. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was drowning after Fernandez suffered a broken neck, Volusia County spokesman Dave Byron said Monday.

The accident occurred about 11 a.m. Saturday near the 1000 block of North State Road A1A.

"We are going in between disbelief and incredible sadness," Debbe Fernandez said of her family's emotional roller coaster during a stop at the high school.

The family was not alone on that roller coaster Monday. Grief and crisis counselors from the Volusia County School District were on campus to assist Fernandez's fellow Barracudas in any way they could.

"We walk the kids through what to expect," said crisis team member Amy Hall. "It lets them know there are resources there to help them."

Describing the team's function as emotional triage, she said their job is to make those who knew the deceased as comfortable as possible.

"Losing someone you see on a daily basis is even more traumatic," Hall said.

A lot of people remembered Fernandez on Monday morning.

Fernandez's students and colleagues at the school similarly tried to come to grips with the unexpected death of a person some students described as a "cool," "hands on" teacher and co-worker.

"He would help you with everything you needed help with," said student Ryan Norville, who was making a card for the family in hopes of giving them something to smile about at such a sad time.

Shepherd hosts two local high school teachers to collaborate on ...

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV—Dr. Seung-yun Kim, assistant professor of computer sciences at Shepherd University, worked with two local high school teachers who were awarded a $36,000 grant through the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE) program. Wendy Lee, science teacher at Musselman High School in Inwood, and Denise Gipson, science teacher at Jefferson High School in Shenandoah Junction, requested to work with Kim based on his abstract in the WV-INBRE research directory. The grant allowed the teachers to work with Kim for nine weeks this summer as he researched modeling and simulation of malaria and medication interaction using Petri Net.

Each teacher received a stipend of $13,000 and the additional $10,000 was used for Kim’s lab supplies to conduct the research. The group modeled human system using Petri Net and introduced malaria and then introduced three different types of prescription drugs to simulate the reaction of the malaria. They then used Tina, a Petri Net modeling and simulation tool, to compile a final report. Kim said that their work will be published in a paper in the coming year.

Gipson, who has a master’s of science in biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, said that the program allows her to see what has changed and stayed the same in her field of study. “It’s a positive experience,” Gipson said. “It’s nice to see bio-chemistry and computers combined, update our skills, and establish professional contacts.”

Gipson, Lee, and Kim traveled to the 10th Annual WV-INBRE Summer Research Symposium at Marshall University on July 28 where Gipson presented on the group’s findings to date. Gipson said that she hopes to continue a partnership between Jefferson High School and Shepherd and that the experience is a valuable opportunity for high school teachers.

“This provides a way to do research on up-to-date information in science that we can take back to high school students,” said Lee. Kim said that this is the first time to have high school teachers work with the computer science, mathematics, and engineering department at Shepherd.

School, the story of American public education

School

High fidelity

The school and society

The Shaping School Culture Fieldbook