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Charlotte Amalie
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Community Holds Memorial for Teacher

May 21, 2004 – The faculty, staff and students of the St. Croix Central High School have organized a candle light vigil and a memorial service to honor and remember slain English teacher Natasha L. Cummings. The candle light vigil takes place on Friday, May 21, at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. The memorial service will be held at the school on Monday and, at the request of the family, is open only to invited guests.
"The ceremonies will show Ms. Cummings how much we love her and miss her," said CHS Special Education teacher, Donna Jones. "The goal is to celebrate Ms. Cummings life."
The vigil will begin with a march from the gym to the school parking lot. Students will read poems and sing songs. The family of Ms. Cummings will be present. Participants are asked to wear bright colors and bring candles. "We want participants to dress in joyous colors," Jones remarked. "Ms. Cummings was full of life, this is the way she would have wanted it to be."
On Monday a memorial service will take place at the school. The program will include song, dance and poetry readings. Commemorative t-shirts, designed by the staff are on sale to the general public. Proceeds from the sales of the t-shirts will be put into a college fund for Nico Carrillo, Cummings 4-year-old son. To purchase a t-shirt, call CHS at 340-778-0123.
Cummings, 31, was one of the victims of Saturday's triple homicide at her home in Estate Barren Spot. Police said Jose Carrillo III, 32, Cummings' boyfriend, confessed to shooting her as well his brother, Wayne Walcott, 25, and Tai Carrillo, the couple's infant son. Carrillo was charged with three counts of first-degree murder at an advice-of-rights hearing Monday. (See "Carrillo Charged with 3 Counts of 1st-Degree Murder" The couple's 4-year-old son, Nico, reportedly witnessed the shootings.
Julice Joseph, Cummings colleague in the CHS English Department, said she hopes the program will bring closure for the students and faculty. Joseph said that in her class today the students spoke about their feelings regarding the tragedy. "They wanted to know why can't people think before they act," Joseph said. "I just told them that you have to think about the benefits to you, and just walk away."
Jones said a lot of students are having a difficult time coping with the death of their teacher. "Some are not sleeping at night, a lot are still crying."

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