School willing to help students through difficult time

Two former CVHS students, Cody Nicosia, 18, and Christian Birdsall, 16, were arrested on Oct. 25 and charged with the murder of Castro Valley resident Barbara Latiolais. CVHS as well as Redwood Alternative High School have been providing students with the necessary guidance and support needed to cope with this tragedy and loss.

“This is a complicated situation and it’s normal to feel confused and uncertain about this, especially if you know any of the persons or families involved,” said CVHS Principal Mary Anne Valles. “We have a support system in place for those of you needing to talk.”

CVHS counselor Lisa Wasserman agrees. Wasserman encourages students to seek help and discuss this issue with somebody if they are having a hard time.
“Our job is to help kids get through school on a daily basis and so, anything that any of us can do to help, we’re here to do,” said Wasserman.

Counselors are available to students before, after, or during school in their offices.

Redwood, where Birdsall attended prior to his arrest, has been helping students cope with this matter in a different approach. During these past few weeks, additional counselors, including Wasserman, were invited to speak in classrooms and help students, who had classes with or knew Birdsall, individually.

Redwood also had a guest speaker who is an expert on restorative justice come in and do group work for the entire school.

Helping students cope with this issue in both CVHS and Redwood is emphasized and everyone should take a valuable message away from this situation.

“You’re never too sure about someone’s capabilities and we are helping students start the road towards acceptance and being able to understand both sides of a person and what they are capable of,” said Wasserman.

“I know that we are a strong community and we will get through this,” said Valles.