Tragedy struck South Korea on Apr. 16, 2014, when the MV Sewol, a ferry carrying 479 passengers, sank about two miles off the coast of Gwanmae Island. On its way from Incheon to Jeju, the ferry had approximately 325 Danwon High School students on board for a four day field trip.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Myung Roh-hun, a maritime minister in South Korea, said that “the vessel made a sharp turn at 8:49 a.m. on Wednesday. At 8:55 a.m., the ship sent out a distress call and began turning to one side. It sank about two hours later.” Controversy surrounding the ship captain’s role in the sinking has led to criminal investigations in South Korea. NBC’s coverage of the story states that the ship captain, Lee Joon-seok, 69, was immediately saved from the ship and is now “deeply ashamed” of his actions, including turning the ship too sharply and signing off on carrying an unapproved load of cargo on the ship.

Parents and families are grieving the loss of their loved ones, as 210 people have been declared dead and 92 passengers are still missing.

Paige ’15 has been recruiting Marlborough students to write letters to the affected mourners in South Korea. Paige implored all Marlborough students to ask themselves what school would be like if 75% of the junior class had been lost in an accident and to reach out however they can.