The Valders High School community is trying to get through the days after a student recently passed away at Holy Family Memorial Hospital.
Eric Pankratz was a junior at high school before passing.
Principal David Schmid says Pankratz was an active member of the high school choir.
“He recently sang the solo to start ‘O’ Holy Night’, which was the last song of the concert (the choir’s recent Christmas concert). He was also involved in our theater program,” he said.
He says the first day after students were notified, another counselor from Mishicot High School came by to help people with grief counseling.
Although it’s been somber at the high school, Schmid says there’s been a lot of support from other high schools as well.
“We had cookies sent over from Two Rivers,” he explained. “We had offers of help from Kiel, Manitowoc, New Holstein, Brillion, Roncalli you know everyone in the area.”
Pankratz’s obituary says he also enjoyed camping and making fires.
He was also a member of the Boy Scouts of America Troop 918.
It also says, above all, Eric was a caring and generous person to everyone he met.
