posted: January 22, 2007

I turned on the radio on Friday morning and heard some talk of security at schools, and just what is appropriate. The conversation continued with a report that there had been a stabbing at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School - here in my town of Sudbury, 17 miles west of Boston. My 15 year old son Jeffrey attends school there as a freshman. James Alenson, also a 15 year old freshman was involved in some sort of fight in one of the boys' bathrooms with John Odgren, a 16 year old sophmore. James died less than an hour later from knife wounds to his stomach and heart, as well as his neck. Odgren lives in Princeton, MA (45 min west) but attended school here under a program called 'GO' - Great Opportunities. He has a mild form of autism, called Ausperger syndrome, and was on several medications. Students described him as a loner (we have all heard this before...) who wore a trench coat, and often spoke of violence. The day before, he had described to a friend about a book he was reading - and how he was fascinated by a part that described the sound of dripping blood. And there were other indications in his conversations of this dangerous mind at work. He gave signals... ************ James' family moved to Sudbury just 6 months ago... for the great school system - as did we. My heart goes out for James Alenson's family.