Montgomery High School staff, students remember Jayden Pienta, celebrate their resiliency a year after fatal stabbing

Students and faculty gathered on the front lawn of Montgomery High School Friday afternoon as Principal April Santos dedicated a tree in honor of the resilience of her students.

It was no coincidence that the dedication took place exactly a year after a Montgomery student died in a classroom altercation, a day that is now ingrained in the school’s history.

“Today, as we come together after a year of difficulty and tragedy, reflecting on the roots and resiliency of our students and staff is essential,” Santos said. “Like the steady roots of a tree, our students and staff are deeply embedded in the fabric of our community, anchoring us in times of adversity.”

Some students, wearing memorial shirts with the image of a smiling 16-year-old Jayden Pienta, held on to one another.

In the 365 days since Pienta was fatally stabbed in an art class, the school has remained in the spotlight as a dramatic example of the safety issues across Santa Rosa City Schools middle and high schools.

The year has been marked by lockdowns, teacher walkouts and organized student protests calling for change.

“Resilience is more than just enduring hardship; it is about growth and renewal in the face of adversity,” Santos said in her speech. “We have turned our pain into purpose, our grief into action, and our despair into hope.”

The theme of resilience radiated on Friday, despite intermittent rain and gray skies. It's an element of student culture that Santos wants to keep at the forefront.

“It's not easy for adults to deal with tragedy, let alone students to deal with it,” she said. “But we saw it last year with the students coming together — whether it was in protest or just being there for one another — the resilience of this group of young people is amazing.”

Friday was much about “holding space,” Santos said, for students or faculty to express how they are feeling, access mental health resources through on-site counselors or therapists who cleared their schedule, and through the small events sprinkled throughout the day.

A plastic wrap mural where students could paint on either side of the material was placed in the school’s quad, alongside tables with rocks for students to paint.

The rocks, which were later placed at the base of the dedicated tree, were painted with things like: “Be kind;” “You are loved;” “For Jay;” and “LLJ,” (Live Like Jayden).

“I think it’s good that they’re making today positive,” said Abby Merkel, a freshman who painted hearts on the rock she chose alongside a few of her friends. “We have friends from other schools who say, ‘Aren’t you scared to go to Monty? Is it scary?’ and it’s not. … Everybody’s super supportive and there’s a lot of help that they offer us with counselors, people to talk to.”

Montgomery Counselor Melissa Baker felt grateful for students who were taking the time to access resources.

“We tried to prepare as much as we could not knowing the range of emotions we could have here,” Baker said. “I think the kids have what they need to get through this day.”

She described meeting with one student who was having a particularly hard time. Walking around the campus and talking with the student, provided some relief, she said.

“There’s a lot of adults on campus today,” Baker said. “I think sometimes we lack that here. Kids, in general, sometimes want to flock to adults to talk to them and so it’s nice having a lot of parents on campus who’ve come to support and help whatever way they can.”

Santa Rosa City Schools Trustee Jeremy De La Torre spent most of the day at Montgomery, participating in some activities and introducing himself to students. Trustee Ed Sheffield and Superintendent Anna Trunnell also made appearances at the school on Friday.

The day culminated in a student-led vigil for Pienta. It was mostly the teen’s close friends and family members, gathered just outside the administration office.

Many embraced one another, wiping their tears while looking at the array of flower bouquets, candles and pictures of Pienta.

His childhood best friend and fellow Montgomery student, Olivia Cruz, helped organize the vigil alongside five of Jayden’s other close friends.

“This is the place he died at, and we’re trying to represent him. This is where a lot of people did know him, whether they were close with him, or not,” Cruz said. “It brings good memories, being out here with his friends and family memorializing him.”

“At the end of the day, he was still so young,” she continued. “No matter the circumstances of it, his life still got taken, after being such a great person in a bunch of people’s lives, not just mine.”

Report For America corps member Adriana Gutierrez covers education and child welfare issues for The Press Democrat. Reach her at Adriana.Gutierrez@pressdemocrat.com.