HENRY COUNTY, Va. – The Henry County community is grieving after the loss of a 17-year-old student who died in a car crash.
With a pep in his step and always joking, 17-year-old Julianna Bishop said the community lost a one-of-a-kind Magna Vista High School senior in Nick Pruitt.
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“He was pretty much the class clown,” Bishop said. “He was bouncing around and doing everything. He was super smart. Everyone got along with him.”
She was devastated when she found out her childhood friend of 10 years died in a deadly car crash on Soapstone Road Thursday.
“I just busted into tears when I heard it,” she said. “Half of Magna Vista was messed up all day. All you heard was sniffling throughout the halls. I mean, he is definitely someone we are all going to really miss.”
Bishop said most seniors left school Thursday after hearing the tragic news.
Though most returned Friday, she said the hallways felt eerily quiet.
“No one really talked when I was in the hallways. Everyone was just down.”
To help staff and students cope, the school is offering counseling services.
“It’s always helpful to have trusted adults available, people that they know,” Monica Hatchett with Henry County Public Schools said. “But additionally, it’s sometimes nice to have someone who has a different perspective available to speak with them as well. We’ve been very grateful for that.”
Piedmont Community Services is also volunteering to help as the community prepares for vigils this weekend.
Over the next few days, the high school is working with student groups to determine how they want to honor their classmate.
CrossPoint Church will host an hour of prayer Saturday at 1 p.m. in Pruitt’s honor.
Friends created a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for funeral expenses.