Rosman High School pauses football game to honor Ansel Galloway
The 17-year-old junior died earlier this week; his cause of death has not been released.
By Samantha Reed ·
Rosman High School in North Carolina held a memorial ceremony Friday night for a student who died earlier in the week. Ansel Galloway, 17, was a junior at the school, which is part of the Rosman community. The school has not publicly disclosed the cause of his death.
Students, staff, and community members gathered before the Friday night football game to observe a moment of silence. Many attendees wore black clothing to show their support. The school also organized a 50-50 raffle, with all proceeds directed to Galloway's family.
Carson Gurganious, a junior and friend of Galloway since seventh grade, spoke about their relationship. Gurganious said Galloway had a calming effect on him. "Every time I did talk to him, it would lighten my day a little bit," Gurganious said.
Gurganious described Galloway as a quiet person. He noted that people who took the time to speak with him quickly discovered his kindness. "He was really quiet, but if you actually sat down and talked to him and got to know him, then he was just a joy to talk to," Gurganious said.
Principal Patrick Chapman said the news was difficult for the faculty to process. He told the WLOS News 13 that educators struggle to find words for such sudden losses. "There's really no words or anything to really kind of prepare you for that type of news as an educator," Chapman said.
Chapman expressed pride in how the student body responded during the week. He said he told the superintendent about the way students supported one another. "I was telling the superintendent how proud I was of our students this week, the way they came together, the way they supported each other," Chapman said.
The school posted a final tribute to Galloway on social media. The message read: "We love you and miss you, Ansel. Once a Tiger, always a Tiger."
