There is a rock that sits outside of our school. It has been a place to recognize achievement of the student body for many years. It endured Hurricane Sandy, the school’s renovation, the snowstorm of 2010 and just recently a loss of one of our own. The rock is our compass; it sits at the point of intersection between the senior lot and the pool lot, each person entering the school by door eight having to walk by it in the morning. It has always been that teams with parallel schedules often fight over ownership of the rock. Students come in the shadows of the evening and make the rock their own with spray paint to honor the hard work and dedication of being a student athlete. This has not been the case this fall. Through the end of fall sports and the beginning of winter season, the rock remained the same.

For a month only two words were placed on this school symbol. Team Henry.

Henry Burneson would have been a senior at Yorktown this fall. He would have been preparing for the upcoming crew season. He would have been applying to colleges far and wide.

Henry was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia last December and passed away on October 16th, 2015.  On the Monday following his passing, banners hung from the second story of the atrium. Per student tradition, painted bed sheets with the colors of teal and orange (the colors of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)  were hung  in every direction.

No One Fights Alone, one of the signs said. And this maxim held true here: Henry did not.

“After Henry’s schedule was abbreviated last winter due to treatments, he would sneak into Film Study. In the darkness of first period, Henry would poke his bald head in the doorway and flash his contagious smile. He would wait for me to gladly welcome him with the nod of my head, which of course, I always did as we were all so happy to have him back with us,” said English teacher Rachel Sadauskas.

Henry also visited government teacher, Paige Hamrick, where they discussed Henry’s future apart from the diagnosis he had been given.  They talked about his wish with the Make A Wish foundation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that arranges experiences to children with life-threatening medical conditions. Henry had dreams of visiting south east Asia and incredible safaris in Africa. He had dreams that stretched outside of the hospital room. He had an attitude and a mindset that kept him involved in his studies. Teacher, David Mower visited Henry last year when he was sick and at home to try and keep him caught up on the material he was missing. Henry wanted to continue working even with the disease he had. He was cheerful and humorous even though the dark cloud that is cancer loomed over his head.

“It is pretty difficult not being able to see him.  And when I read the CaringBridge blog that his parents run announcing Henry’s passing my heart sank. My thoughts immediately went to his parents, and as a parent myself I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a child. My heart still aches for them. But, it is beautiful the way that his friends rallied around him. It’s amazing that no one has repainted the rock yet. Every morning I ride my bike past it,” said photo teacher,  Allen Beland.  

The following morning, Tuesday October 27,  lanterns from the Light the Night Walk were strung in the atrium as well. The Light the Night Walk is is a fundraising campaign benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and their funding of research to find blood cancer cures. A table was set up at all lunch periods for students to write down and share stories and facts about Henry as a gift to his family. At the football game on Friday October 23,  his  friends and classmates passed out orange bracelets to the entire student body. They can be seen on the wrists of students and teachers throughout classrooms. The amount of support the school displayed was unimaginably immense, and continues to bring the community together.

“The most important thing that we can do, is to keep talking. It is important to keep telling the stories. Telling the stories keeps the memories alive. It keeps Henry alive,” said Hamrick.

Henry’s influence has not diminished– it will be a constant source of light. He  will forever be present in the hearts of his dearest friends and affect the lives of those who had the honor of knowing him. He is still popping into Film Study with an infectious smile despite the treatments he was facing.  He is still being.

“My fondness for Henry is so deep that as his group of friends and I sometimes talk after school, I am quick to remind them to speak of Henry in the present tense, because I think by doing so you keep his memory alive. And he was such a wonderful life force during his brief stay on this planet. I can’t speak highly enough about him ever,” said Beland.  

His friends just recently repainted the rock with the words, “Paint me! Love H” allowing the compass to switch directions as we sail to new places always keeping the teal and orange hue in the back of our minds.  As we move onto new journeys we will carry the memories with us.  He has become the compass. Henry is our rock. The signs may no longer hang from the second story of the atrium, the rock may be painted for many senior nights to come, but the layer is still there. The orange and the teal are still underneath it all  making a permanent mark on the school. Just like Henry did, and will continue to do.