Valley Stream mourns 'shining star'

Popular student is struck and killed by vehicle on his way to school

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The death of Zachary Ranftle, 12, who was struck by an SUV near the entrance to Hendrickson Park on the morning of Dec. 11 as he walked to school, left friends and community members reeling, and prompted an outpouring of grief and support that people who knew him said reflected his exceptional spirit.

“He was smart, polite, kind and extremely caring, especially of his younger brother,” said Toni Pomerantz, a District 13 Board of Education trustee and a retired third-grade teacher who had known Zachary since 2011, when he was a member of her class at Howell Road Elementary School.

Anthony Mignella, principal of Memorial Junior High School, where Zachary was in the seventh grade, said that the school made an announcement the morning after the accident, and paused for a moment of silence. “To say the least, today was a very difficult day for our entire student body,” Mignella said that afternoon.

Grief counselors were brought into each of Zachary’s classes and made available to all students and faculty. They visited each seventh-grade social studies class in teams of two to speak about the grieving process. “The kids were amazing,” Mignella said. “The students themselves came up with all kinds of different projects.”

Messages for Zachary were written on the school’s windows. Cards, poems and letters were created and collected, to be delivered to his family. His science class invented an element for the periodic table based on elements of his character. His personality made him popular among not only his peers but his teachers as well, school officials said.

“Zach was a shining star,” read a message posted on the school district’s website. “He had many friends in class, helped others with difficult concepts, and was the first to ‘get it’ in class. He was able to think outside of the box and supply simple explanations [of] his ideas to others with ease. He provided us with insight and achieved greatness with every challenge he was presented with. He was well liked by his peers and loved by his teachers. He was a sweet boy who had a bright future. He will be greatly missed every day.”

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