A public memorial service, moment of silence tribute, and a parent meeting tomorrow night have been planned in response to the death of sophomore student Ben Tachibana.

The memorial service will be at the Roller, Hapgood, and Tinney Chapel (980 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto) at 4 p.m. Friday.

The moment of silence will be in the school quad at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, and the parent meeting will be in the English Resource Center at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

Tachibana died Friday night after being struck by an oncoming train behind the Town and Country Village shopping center. Police have preliminarily categorized the tragedy as a suicide.

Staff members were briefed on the situation by phone and e-mail over the weekend and in a meeting this morning before first period. They were also told that counselors were available to lead classroom discussions.

"Carmen M. Geidt (director of educational support services), Mrs. Pearson, and I plan on bringing community experts into Paly and we will provide information and help to all parents and students," said district representative Irv Rollins.

Counselors have been called in from KARA, a grief support service for children and adults, and Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS). "There are roughly 20 people on site right now," said assistant principal Katya Villalobos.

The counselors are expected to stay until the end of the week, or as long as needed. Students may also be referred to outside agencies if need be. "We have [counselors] at our call when we need them," Villalobos said. So far no additional help has been needed, but Villalobos suspects that it is too early to tell what the needs of the students will be. Students interested in speaking to a counselor should report to the Guidance Office or room 29 in the Tower Building at any time during the school day.

Jim Bronson from KARA spoke to In Focus today and stated that services provided this week are not only for students, but also to "help back up the teachers and staff as well."

In a letter Pearson sent to the staff over the weekend, she noted five key behaviors that may suggest depression or grievance in teenagers: (1) Teen can’t concentrate on homework or classwork; (2) Teen has tears at unusual times; (3) Teen worries excessively about his or her own health; (4) Teen sometimes appears to be unfeeling about loss; (5) Teen is overly concerned with care taking needs.

Pearson and teachers are imploring students who either show such symptoms or are especially affected by recent events to voice their feelings to a trusted friend or advisor.

In comments on In Focus today, Pearson also emphasized a plea that students not speak to members of the press regarding the tragedy. Although not allowed on campus, reporters may be circulating in spots such as Town and Country. Pearson encouraged students to abstain from comments to the press "because of the need for privacy of the [Tachibana] family."

The following reporters contributed to this story:
Peter Lenke, Nathan Ford, Amanda Dotson, Maggie Krummel, Laura Mitchell, Nathan Eberhart, Kristen Barta, and Nabil Balamane, Timon Karnezos, and Moonway Lin.