The first few days back at school are usually an exciting time as friends reconnect and swap stories about their summer.
That is not the picture at École Secondaire Jean XXIII in Dorval, however, which was the scene of a tragedy 12 days ago. This week, it is a school in mourning.
On Monday, the first day of regular classes, a minute of silence was held to honour Baris Bekir Sagit, a 16-year-old boy who was to start Secondary 5 that day.
Baris died Saturday.
The ÃŽle Bizard teen suffered severe head injuries Aug. 20 in a car-surfing accident in the Dorval school's parking lot.
Baris was crouched on the trunk of a burgundy Honda Civic that was doing circles when he fell and hit his head on the pavement, witnesses said.
Police have not decided whether to lay criminal charges against the 17-year-old driver of the car on which Baris was car surfing.
It is the first fatal car-surfing accident reported in Montreal this year. Last year, a 36-year-old man died after car surfing in Dollard des Ormeaux.
Officials from the Commission Scolaire Marguerite Bourgeoys school are not talking to the media about the incident, a school secretary said Wednesday.
Those officials also have instructed students not to talk to reporters - an instruction many students seemed to be respecting Wednesday as they sat in a park across the street from the school during their lunch hour.
"It's out of respect for his family," one 16-year-old boy explained. When he started to say more, he was hushed by friends.
A woman who answered the phone at the family's home in ÃŽle Bizard on Wednesday said family members have left to bury Baris in Turkey.
"I have nothing to say myself," said the woman, who identified herself only as a house-sitter.
At École Secondaire Jean XXIII Wednesday, there was little of the usual back-to-school chatter about homeroom teachers, summer holidays and who is dating whom.
"He was a great soccer player," said a 13-year-old hanging out with two other boys from the school's junior wing. "I heard he wanted to play for Turkey's national team."
"It's really sad for his parents," a 15-year-old girl said as she hugged a friend. "They only have two kids, him and his brother. I know some people who went to the hospital to see him. His head was all bandaged white; he was in a coma."
To publicly express their grief, the girl said, she and other students have turned to social media. Three Facebook pages created by Baris's friends are filled with messages of affection - many posted before Saturday, expressing the hope he would recover.
"For a friend we all hope to get better and we are all praying for," reads one. "Pour toi, Baris," reads another. "Une personalité remarquable, un athlète."
More than 500 students have joined Facebook pages titled Get Well Baris Bekir Sagit, Baris Will Survive and R.I.P. Baris Bekir Sagit. Many of the teens who have posted online comments have also added Baris's surname (Sagit) to theirs and replaced their Facebook profile with a photo of him, including one in which he is wearing a 2010 Soccer Intérieur jersey bearing the words Champions Provinciaux Cadets.
"Wake up man" reads one of the most poignant posts. It was dated Aug. 27, 2:11 p.m., the day before Baris died.
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