Samuel Eckstein

           Samuel Cohen-Eckstein was not just a person, but a symbol. To me, he was a symbol of peace, friendship, a loving brother, and overall a great person. You could just picture him now, riding onto the turf on his red scooter, taking free-kicks, and catching footballs. When you think about it you think, it shouldn't have been him. But should it have been anybody? Just saying it was the wrong person at the wrong time is not true. The wrong time, yes but the wrong person? Samuel Cohen-Eckstein may not have deserved it, but I don't think anyone did. Sammy was loved by all and adored by students as well as teachers.
          The shock was the hardest part. Walking off the bus and seeing everyone huddled together and asking, what happened? Then thinking everyone was joking until you saw there faces and realized it wasn't a joke. After that it was a tidal wave of crying and hugging and tears. Saying, should we go inside? Should we stay out here? Everyone was so disoriented that nobody knew what to do. We eventually herded ourselves inside and sat down. All you could hear from outside was crying and yelling "Sammy!"
          Even though dealing with Sammy's death was hard, it helps you learn how much people actually love a person. It also brings you to ask yourself, what will tomorrow be like? What will next week be like? What will the rest of the year be like? I don't think that matters, as long as we have each other. He is in a better place now, God bless him.