Classmates Remember Life of 8-Year-Old Killed in Montgomery County Tornado
Students and teachers at G.W. Carver Elementary and Arts Magnet School held a memorial and balloon release for Ceddarius Tell on Friday.
Tell, 8, and his mother, 39-year-old Chiquita Broadnax, were killed when a large tree fell on their home as an EF-2 tornado pushed through the Flatwood community just north of the Montgomery city limits on Nov. 30. The boy’s father, Cedric Tell, survived but had to be rescued and taken to a hospital for emergency surgery.
Cedric Tell was present for the memorial along with other family members.
The entire student body with balloons in hand sat and listened as an opening music guitar solo was played by Ceddarius’ music teacher, followed by a dance performance by Miss Ali and her scholar students.
Chiquita Broadnax, 39, and her son Cedarrius Tell, 8, were killed by the tornado in Montgomery County on Wednesday, November 30, 2022. Photo from Antonio Broadnax via ABC News
A resolution of respect for Ceddarius was presented to the family by principal Juan Henderson. The memorial culminated with the release of hundreds of balloons.
“When we learned of Ceddarius’ death and his mother’s death, we were quick to respond by having a therapist and our counselors to come over to the school so they could counsel the students and let them learn how to deal with grief and death in a situation like this,” Connell Vandiver, the school’s parent liason, told Alabama News Network.
“This has touched everyone. I remember going into the rooms a particular morning and hearing just some of the comments and the cards I’ve seen and how Ceddarius was described as a friend, a likable person, someone that you wanted to be like,” principal Juan Henderson said.
Henderson says that they will continue to counsel the students. They have a therapy dog on campus to comfort the students as they try to understand this tragic loss of their classmate.
