EVELYN DE LOS SANTOS - 5 yo - Oklahoma City OK

Oklahoma City schoolchildren remember classmate with words, pictures, balloons

As the school year comes to a close, students and teachers at
Eugene Field Elementary honor 5-year-old Evelyn De Los Santos. Juan De
Los Santos killed his wife, Claudia Aguilar, 35, and Evelyn, their
child, in March.

By Juliana Keeping|

Published: May 21, 2012

Outside Eugene Field Elementary School,
hundreds of children assembled in rows clutch green balloons. When one
balloon floats off early, a roar of little voices erupts. The children
are there to honor classmate Evelyn De Los Santos.



A bench with kindergarten student
Evelyn De Los Santos' name and photograph was presented during a
memorial at Eugene Field Elementary School in Oklahoma City, Friday, May
11, 2012. Evelyn was murdered by her father in March 2012. Photo By
Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman


Elementary school plans memorial for Evelyn De Los Santos



Photoview all photos




Article Gallery: Oklahoma City schoolchildren remember classmate with words, pictures, balloons


A child in Evelyn's kindergarten class holds a balloon close to
her face. A tear rolls down her cheek as the school choir begins to
sing.

Police say Evelyn's father, Juan De Los Santos, 46, shot Evelyn, 5, and her mother, Claudia Aguilar, 35, before turning the gun on himself March 13 at their home, 1925 NW 15.

Last week at the house, a yellow and red toy car is overturned in the yard.
Mail is in the mailbox. A silver slipper lies on the ground in front of a
rundown porch.

The events that occurred there are too painful for
family members who live in the neighborhood to talk about, they said.
Relatives told police Juan De Los Santos and Aguilar were estranged,
going through a divorce at the time of the shootings.

Evelyn's death devastated the close-knit school of 537 prekindergarten through fifth-grade students.
“This is a neighborhood school, and she had several family members here,” said Principal Paige Bressman. “It did not just affect her class, it affected the entire school. The kids were very sad. They talked about it a lot.”
The students and staff at Eugene Field, 1515 N Klein Ave., wanted to honor Evelyn.

All of the children who attend the school qualify for federal nutrition
programs based on family income. But in early May, they collected more
than $900 in a penny drive to donate to Positive Tomorrows, an Oklahoma City
organization that educates homeless children. The money also was used
to purchase a plaque to place on a bench in memory of their classmate.

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