Edgemont School District officials this afternoon announced that they will hold an “informal community meeting” tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the Edgemont high school auditorium to discuss the Metro North tragedy in which six people were killed, including Edgemont mother of three Ellen Brody, whose funeral will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Patty Donovan-Duff, director of The Bereavement Center of Westchester, will facilitate the meeting, and counselors, school psychologists, and administrators will also be available for support.
“This informal meeting is open to everyone — parents, faculty, staff, students, friends, community members — anyone in the community who may be affected by this tragedy,” the announcement said. “This will be an excellent opportunity to work together to support each other as members of the Edgemont community.”
The announcement was made by school superintendent Victoria Kniewel and school principal Devan Ganeshananthan. Their statement, addressed to Edgemont families is as follows:
“We write to provide more information about how we are supporting our students and the Edgemont community during the wake of the terrible tragedy involving Ellen Brody this past Tuesday. To support students today, first-period teachers, counselors, school psychologists, and administrators read a brief statement about the tragedy and opened the floor for further discussion in individual classrooms. Counselors, school psychologists, and administrators were available to students throughout the day to process the event. Towards the end of the day, counselors, school psychologists, and administrators met with the entire eleventh grade, and we discussed grief, loss, and how to navigate these types of situations. At our meeting, several students asked questions about the funeral for Ellen Brody; we explained that we would communicate that information to you directly.”
The funeral for Ellen Brody will be held tomorrow, February 6, at 10 a.m. at Chabad of the Rivertowns, 303 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry. The family will sit shiva at their home on Saturday starting at 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. through Thursday evening.
In the meantime, contributions may be made to Scarsdale caterer Standing Room Only, which has set up an account to pay for the Brody family meal after the funeral and graveside service, and buffets for the shiva over the weekend. Those wishing to contribute are invited to call 914 472-3002, and ask for Rae. Edgemont Cares, an arm of the ECC, will be working with family friends and neighbors to coordinate dinners to be delivered to the family in the days and weeks ahead. To volunteer, please email edgemontcares@gmail.com.