Ecstasy victim mourned

Still shell-shocked by the news, teachers and classmates expressed disbelief that Perez- or anyone at the school - would have access to such a hard drug. Others said it's time people wake up to what's going on in junior high these days.

Parent Karen Van Zant, whose daughter was friends with Perez, said unfortunately, Ecstasy use by middle schoolers isn't that surprising.

"It's a different world [for these kids]," Van Zant said.

In fact, a student at Ralston Middle School said that one of the three girls who took Ecstasy at the slumber party this weekend was expelled for smoking on campus last year.

"She was smoking and handing some stuff out," said the student, who is close friends with Perez's younger sister.

The tragic sequence of events first made headlines when an unconscious Perez was taken to a hospital early Saturday after taking the Ecstasy. After remaining in a comatose state for five days, Perez's family decided to take her off life support Wednesday night.

Students say the third girl at the slumber party - also a student at Ralston Middle School - hasn't returned to class yet. School officials are not commenting on the status of either of the two girls who were also at the slumber party.

Jon McIntosh, superintendent of the Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District, said the drug abuse incident is out of the ordinary and that narcotics aren't a problem at Ralston Middle School.

"Of course, you have drugs in any community," McIntosh said. "But fortunately this was very unusual [at Ralston]."

Last year, McIntosh said there were just a few incidents where students were caught with marijuana on campus. There has never been a case with any drug other than marijuana, he said.

"But that's on the campus," McIntosh said. "We have no idea what goes on outside."

Principal Debbie Ferguson said she never thought Ecstasy was a drug that middle schoolers were acquainted with. Kids openly admit that marijuana is easy to obtain, but Ferguson said it never crossed her mind that a 14-year-old would have access to anything harder than that.

Belmont Mayor George Metropulos, who now teaches at Central Elementary School, said he doesn't remember drugs being a problem when he taught at Ralston about 10 years ago. The worst he can recall is catching students smoking.

"Now it's escalating way beyond that," he said.

Students were just as floored by the news that Perez took Ecstasy.

" doesn't do that kind of stuff," said sixth-grader Sunny Marx, who knew Perez and was friends with her younger sister. "Nobody at Ralston does."

Seventh-grader Adam Amaral said Ralston is a "good school" and that "this is the biggest thing that's happened here."

Meanwhile, chaplains, counselors and faculty are trying to help the nearly 850 students at the middle school cope with the loss. Hundreds of students came together in the quad to sign posters and draw a likeness of Perez; others wrote poems and letters.

"They're beginning to reflect on how real this is," McIntosh said.

The most difficult aspect of the death is explaining to students the difference between being brain dead and officially declared deceased, Principal Debbie Ferguson said.

"Kids struggle with that," she said.

A memorial will be held at the school 7 p.m. May 3.

On May 19, the district will hold a fair on drug abuse at Carlmont High School. A similar event was held three weeks ago and attended by about 50 parents. McIntosh said he expects hundreds to turn out for the next one.

Yunmi Choi can be reached by e-mail at yunmi@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.