Town grieves for popular student
Crash victim is 2d fatality for school in a year
Wilted flowers wrapped in green, pink, and white tissue paper still lay on the curbside at 40 Westminster Ave., a week after an auto accident there killed a popular Arlington High School senior.
As grief-stricken students try to cope with the death of Paul Leone, the second student to die in less than a year, the community is focused on remembering its lost son while preventing yet another tragedy.
"I have a 17-year-old son myself, and this kind of thing scares the daylights out of you," said Superintendent Nate Levenson, adding that the school district will continue its efforts to prevent risky behaviors by devoting even more resources to prevent substance abuse and help teenagers make better choices.
"Right now, we are all mourning, for this family and for the loss to the community," Levenson said.
Word of Leone's death quickly spread before sunrise on April 17. Leone, 18, was in a car accident with his friend Matthew Clarke, also 18. Police believe the car was speeding on Westminster Avenue around 12:15 a.m. when Clarke, the driver, lost control around a sharp bend and the car slammed into a house. Clarke was badly hurt and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He was released Tuesday, according to the hospital.
Police Chief Frederick Ryan said an investigation into the crash is continuing. Last Thursday, a search warrant was executed on the car and Clarke's medical records were seized. Ryan said investigators believe alcohol was a contributing factor to the crash.
Jesse Lehrich, a close friend and basketball teammate to Leone, said he was stunned when his mother relayed the news of the death.
"Everything that you hope people will write about you when you die, that's all true about Paul," said Lehrich. "He always smiled. He always had a joke. He was everybody's friend."
Over the weekend, Leone was buried in a family plot at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, overlooking the Lower Mystic Lake. A red, white, and blue basketball, a handwritten note, and a small angel were all placed on or near the headstone while flowers blanketed the grave.
Hundreds of students, teachers, and residents lined Massachusetts Avenue in front of the DeVito Funeral Home in Arlington Heights last Friday, and St. Agnes Church was packed the following day for services.
Arlington High principal Charles Skidmore said grief counselors were on hand Monday, helping students who were away on vacation deal with the loss. The school's media center has became a place for teenagers to gather to talk with counselors and sign tributes to Leone. Skidmore said a memorial service was being planned for students who were out of town when the wake and funeral were held.
Leone's death follows last year's suicide of Cameron O'Connor, 17, a popular student and lacrosse player. Police and relatives suspect he took the antianxiety drug Klonopin before he shot himself in his family's home.
For Leone's closest friends, the tragedy of the last week had yet to sink in.
"It's hard because I've never been so sad in my life, and yet when I think of memories of Paul, I can't help but be ridiculously happy," Lehrich said. "He'd go out of his way to say hi to people. He just had this presence. I don't know how we're going to get by day to day without him."
Instead of going to see counselors who were available at the high school, a group of grieving friends decided it would be best to go to Anna's Taqueria -- Leone's favorite restaurant -- order burritos, and play video games together. It was the kind of afternoon Paul would have loved, Lehrich said.
Many say Leone was a sensitive and generally quiet student who floated easily between cliques. He listened to underground rap, liked Wu-Tang Clan, and enjoyed watching and playing basketball and lacrosse.
John Bowler, who works at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club, said Leone was a fixture there, always making time for a pickup game of basketball and coaching younger players.
"He started coming around in the sixth grade and I remember him being shy, always running away from the ball," Bowler said. "But he worked hard and he ended up on varsity."
"Working at the Boys and Girls Club, you don't get paid a lot of money. But you do it to meet a kid like Paul Leone," said Bowler.
Leone hadn't yet decided among four colleges that sent acceptance letters, but Lehrich said he was leaning toward La Salle University in Philadelphia. His parents, John Leone -- a lawyer who was elected town moderator this month -- and Carla Leone, had been eagerly anticipating graduation. His sister, Laura, is a sophomore at Arlington.
"Paul was always a gentleman," said Nanci Ortwein, his Spanish teacher, yearbook adviser, and the senior class adviser. "Whenever I needed something, most of the kids turned their noses up, but not Paul. He was a joy."
Ortwein said she enjoyed watching Leone grow -- both emotionally and physically. Nearing the end of his senior year, Leone stood 6 feet 3, towering over many of his classmates.
"I've been doing this for 39 years, and he stood out . . . and not just because he was tall. Paul was a little quieter, a little gentler. He had a great deal of his dad in him. I remember that because I had his dad as a student, too," said Ortwein, who received a call from a student at 3 a.m. with the news last Tuesday.
"I think I went into shock. My heart breaks for the family," said Ortwein.
"I just can't believe there are no more tomorrows for their only son."
Melissa Beecher can be reached at mbeecher@globe.com. 