Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry About 200 people gathered at a Thursday night prayer vigil at First United Methodist Church held in the wake of the deaths of two Warren Area High School students this week.

More than 200 people gathered Thursday night for a Community Candlelight Prayer Vigil at First United Methodist Church in Warren after two Warren Area High School students died this week.

Those in attendance grieved. They cried. They hugged. They shared the flames and light of their candles. They stood as one community.

“We simply do not have the words,” the Rev. Dr. Mark Hecht, pastor of First United Methodist Church, said. “There is aching deep down inside us this night. Fear and sorrow. Anxiousness and anger.”

“We come together with tears for loved ones lost, recognizing that something is broken,” Hecht said. “It takes tragedy to get our attention. To realize that we do need one another.”

“It is in the sadness of grief that we gather,” the Rev. J Maier, pastor of First Church of the Nazarene, said. “This week our schools have and will continue to grieve.”

“We are not alone,” Maier said. “We are reminded that we are community.”

“I want to talk about hope and moving forward,” Kari Swanson, founder of CORE – Choosing Openness Regarding Experiences – said, “not allowing what has happened to define us as a community.”

“This is a horrible thing to go through,” Swanson said. “You are not alone. We are a community… here for you, here for one another. It’s not a weakness to ask for help. It’s actually a strength.”

“It was a day I never want to do again,” Warren County School District Superintendent Amy Stewart said during the vigil. “But, I want to share with you some hope. People came together today. It was an amazing gathering… a beginning.”

The vigil was a group effort. “When the members of the community are hurting, it’s our responsibility to support them,” Hecht said. “Our students and these particular families are broken right now. It’s our responsibility to hold them tight and lift them up.”

On Thursday, the district published a letter to parents and a list of mental health resources available to students and families.

“Warren Area High School has experienced two student deaths this week,” according to the letter from Stewart. “Our most sincere sympathies go out to the families and friends of those students.”

“We have focused on providing support and resources for the students at school and we want to make sure parents have information about how to access mental health supports in our community for their children,” Stewart said in the letter.

“We don’t want anybody to be at home and not know what to do,” she said at the vigil. “We want to make sure everybody has some tools to be able to begin to heal.”

The list of service providers includes: Warren County Human Services, Family Services of Warren County, Beacon Light Outpatient Services, the Achievement Center, Sunrise Collaborative, Jada Swart (licensed professional counselor), Riverside Counseling LLC, Warren County Children’s Advocacy Center, the Trevor Project: Support and Crisis, and TransFamily NWPA.

According to Stewart, Sunrise Collaborative “will open their office for crisis appointments related to the recent crises. Services will be free and confidential.” Sunrise can be reached by calling (724) 422-3928.

“Students are encouraged to use the Safe to Say hotline to report concerns,” Stewart said. “Students have been trained on the use of the app, but it can also be accessed by calling (844) SAFE2SAY.

“These events may provide a good opportunity to for you have some difficult, but important conversations with your child,” she said. “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your school and ask for the school counselor or principal if you need help or assistance in supporting your child’s needs as we navigate this difficult time.”