A junior student-athlete at Stevens High School died early Wednesday morning, hours after passing out at football practice, the district said.
SAN ANTONIO — The Northside ISD community is mourning the losses of four active and former high school students who have died since the start of February, district officials say. Two who attended Marshall High School are believed to have died by suicide.
One of those students has now been identified by family as My’Kari Jacobs.
In a GoFundMe shared with KENS 5, My’Kari’s mother, Keisha Nicole Lacy, described her daughter as “sweet, kind, and creative,” and said her death has left their family devastated.
“She was a loving, caring person,” Lacy told KENS 5 over the phone Wednesday. “…and creative young woman whose light touched everyone she met,” Lacy wrote. “She had a beautiful spirit, a warm heart, and a presence that filled rooms with love and joy.”
Lacy said My’Kari “made others feel seen, valued, and cared for,” and described the loss as “every parent’s worst nightmare.”
The family is now working to cover funeral and memorial expenses.
According to district leadership, My’Kari died last week. The second Marshall individual, a male, was actively enrolled as recently as November and died Monday, a staff member told KENS 5.
Another Marshall student, 15-year-old Ziba Mir Shadad, died Monday morning after San Antonio police say she was fatally hit by a commercial trash collection truck on the northwest side. An SAPD sergeant at the scene said they were reviewing video surveillance, but the incident didn’t appear to be criminal in nature.
The most recent death involves Jaren Troy Lawson, a 16-year-old Stevens High School student-athlete who NISD officials said died at the hospital at 12:06 a.m. Wednesday. According to the district, he had passed out hours earlier at football practice and was assessed by trainers before EMS took him to a hospital.
The athletic director was with Jaren for much of the night, NISD personnel said, and his coach was at the hospital when he died.
NISD officials said Jaren, a junior, had a current physical on file allowing him to play in sports.
In a message sent to the Stevens High School community Tuesday morning, Principal Ryan Purtell acknowledged the loss and said the campus is focused on supporting students and staff.
“It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that I write to share that our school community has experienced loss within our student body,” Purtell wrote. “We recognize that news of this magnitude impacts every individual differently.”
Purtell added that the district is committed to providing “the necessary emotional support and resources for our students, staff, and families during this time of mourning.”
He also noted that classroom instruction would continue “to provide a sense of stability and routine,” while acknowledging that many students may be experiencing loss for the first time.
“For many of our students, this may be their first experience with death,” Purtell wrote, adding that students may look to adults for guidance “on how to navigate their emotions.”
NISD said several counselors have mobilized to Marshall High School this week to provide services to students and staff who need them.