Community. It’s in our name: York Community High School. York Community High School takes the meaning of community to a whole new level when showing support for the recent loss of Mrs. Trent’s daughter, Anna.

On Sept. 28, York Girl’s Volleyball hosted a memorial volleyball match in honor of Anna Trent’s life. To start off the volleyball game, Principal Erin Deluga and the senior volleyball captains, Sydney Bonthron, Kristie Paus, and Sarah Rose, delivered speeches to show their support for the Trent family.

“Anna brought so much joy and energy to every place that she went,” said Sydney Bonthron, senior, in her speech. “We are incredibly honored as a program to have gotten to know Anna and the entire Trent family.”

After their consoling words, Mrs. Trent and her husband addressed the crowd filled with York staff and the Elmhurst community.

“The loss we have experienced has been devastating, but some good can come out of it,” said Mrs. Trent. “I hope that Anna’s life can inspire us all to care and just guard for one another because every life is so precious. So I encourage you to guard others and guard for Anna.

Mrs. Trent has taught at York for about three years. She was a part of the social studies department, teaching Sociology, Criminology, World Studies, and Psychology.  Mrs. Trent also coached the Freshman A volleyball team for one year.

Mrs. Iverson, AP United States History teacher and Head Varsity Volleyball Coach, keeps her program as similar to a family as possible, which is why she chose to hold a match in Anna’s honor.

“As a mom, I think the absolute worst thing that can happen to you is to lose a child,” said Iverson. “Clearly this match is not going to make their troubles end, but we can help them talk about it and share it with our community. I think there were a lot of people involved [in the memorial] that showed a lot of love. I think that it was a step forward for their family.”

Indeed there was a large outpouring of support from the York community as many teachers attended the memorial match in green “Guard for Anna” t-shirts.

“[This memorial] was a great way to show how powerful the York family is when we all get together,” said Assistant Principal Mr. McGuire “We watch out for one another and we are always looking out for each other.”

One of Mrs. Trent’s closest co-workers is Ms. Carl, a fellow social studies teacher. Both being relatively new to the faculty, they are touched by the overwhelming care that the Trent family received after such a tragic event.

“What I appreciate the most is this is York; this is what we do. We all come together to help out Mrs. Trent and her family, to show support during this really tough time,” said Ms. Carl. “I’ve been here for only three years, but I knew this right away and this is not the first time I’ve witnessed the faculty and the students all come together when things are really important.”

One thing remembered about Anna was that she always loved rainbows. Just as the match started and the students and faculty pulled into the parking lot, a rainbow was casted over the athletic building. Thank you Anna, for smiling down on the York community everyday.