It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of Dr. Lowerre’s passing this morning. As our community knows, he was undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for several years and was currently on medical leave with hopes of returning later this year. Dr. Lowerre was an exceptional leader, a family man, an educator, a devoted Christian, and a dear friend who will be sorely missed. I do not know many details as of yet, but I will keep the community informed of plans for a memorial and ways to support his family as they become available.
We know this information is difficult and students may be feeling many different emotions. We realize that such a sudden loss can be traumatic, especially since this is not our first loss this year. Counseling, administration, and a team from Henrico County, Dr. Lowerre’s former school division, met this afternoon to discuss next steps for grief support. Henrico has offered to send grief counselors to Maggie Walker on Monday to support students and staff. We expect a presence from counselors from our other partner school divisions throughout the week.
We have included links on grief support at the end of this message and have also attached a handout from our colleagues in Henrico County. Parents, we encourage you to have a conversation this evening with your child about Dr. Lowerre’s passing, while they have their home supports available. Counselors will be available to speak with students throughout the day, and most counseling activities will be set up in the library.
On behalf of Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, we have extended our condolences to Dr. Lowerre’s family. Our team is working on ways staff and students can convey sympathy to his family and will keep the MLWGS community informed of how they can do so.
