School communities ‘in shock’

THE tragic deaths of Kamile Vaicikonyte and Jamie Moore have sent shockwaves through the communities of St Ciaran’s College in Ballygawley and Omagh High School.

Kamile, aged 17, was a Year 13 pupil at St Ciaran’s.

On Monday, she had been among hundreds of students who took part in a poignant event highlighting the urgency for building the A5 dual carriageway. In a terrible twist of fate, her name and that of her boyfriend have now been added to the list of fatalities along the road.

The principal of St Ciaran’s, Paul Lavery, described Kamile as a ‘bubbly and outgoing girl’ who was ‘very popular with both staff and pupils’.

“Kamile joined our school in Year 10, and spoke excitedly about her hopes and dreams, which included going to university.

“We have been profoundly saddened by her death, and our hearts go out to Kamile’s parents, sister and wider family circle; they are foremost in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time,” he added.

“To assist in supporting our pupils and staff through this time of grief, trained staff from the Education Authority Critical Incident Response Team are present in the school to provide support, alongside the school’s pastoral team.

“A letter has been sent by the school to parents, informing them of this incident, and providing information on the support services available throughout the school.”

Christos Gaitatzis, principal of Omagh High, said Jamie was a ‘very helpful student’ to other pupils and staff during his time at the school from 2016 until 2021.

“Jamie was always one of the most helpful pupils. He was always very willing to volunteer at events, including our open evenings and trips away. I remember him providing great assistance at a Manchester United FC visit while he was a student here,” said Mr Gaitatzis.

“In addition to this, Jamie was someone who helped younger pupils at the school.

“He was a very pleasant young man and possessed that great characteristic of being a good example to his peers and everyone at the school, including staff. Jamie was, above all, a kind young man.”

Mr Gaitatzis added that the thoughts and prayers of the entire school with Mr Moore’s family.