Our heartfelt thanks to the students and faculty at Pope John Paul II!

They raised and donated $861.27 to the Wesley Smith Memorial Field Fund.

...we wish all of you could have known Wes. His memories and his life will stay alive always because of his friends.

Thank you Brenna...

One of Wesley's good friends gave this speech at Pope John Paul II High School

     Hi, for anyone who doesn't know me, my name is Brenna Davis and I'm a junior here and I live in Clarksville,  I'm going to say a little about a dress down day tomorrow and the causes behind it. Most of you probably don't know this, but the dress down day is for two causes. One is for Habitat for Humanity which is a wonderful organization devoted to corporal works. The other cause is actually more of a spiritual work.

     Like I said, I'm from Clarksville and before I started high school here, I went to Clarksville Academy which is a school for Pre-K - 12. It averages around 550 kids total per year which means that each class is relatively small and everyone knows one another. I was very close to all of the kids in my grade while I went to school there because there were only about 35 of us in the entire grade. I left after 8th grade to come here and try something different.

     Well, a little over 4 months ago on September 4, the unthinkable happened. One of the best friends that I had at Clarksville Academy, Wesley Smith, died in a motorcycle accident. He was only 16 years old but he was an amazing guy. He was about 5'4" maybe 5'5", but everyone who knew and looked up to him. He had an incredible personality. He loved life and lived every day to the fullest by just being himself and by enjoying everything that he did. He had an amazing faith and trust in God that shined through his personality. He had the most school spirit and played three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. His heart made up for what he lacked in height and he excelled at whatever he put his mind to. I can never remember one time when he complained about anything because he always tried to look for the silver lining and he always tried to cheer me up if I was ever sad. Wes also had an amazing relationship with his parents. He was never embarrassed to give his mom a kiss or tell his dad that he loved him. He was one of the most inspiring people I have ever met in my life.

    Throughout this ordeal, Wes' parents have kept a faith that is stronger than ever. I know how much this has affected me and my life view and I cannot imagine what they must have to go through every morning when they wake up. Mrs. Smith told me that the only thing that keeps them going is people praying for them. Their hope is that through Wes' death, others will see how to fully enjoy life and have an everlasting trust in God.

    Even though it happened 4 months ago, his death is still hard for me to comprehend sometimes. Some days during school it feels very surreal for me to think about how much my life and the lives of my former classmates in Clarksville have been permanently altered while a majority of the students here never even knew that Wes existed. I guess this makes me question my own existence and what I am supposed to accomplish while I'm here. I am confident that my friend Wesley served God's purpose by being a primary example of God's love here on Earth. There are no words for the feelings that I experience when I think about these past few months. Having caring friends and teachers who listen, understand and put up with my constantly changing emotions has made this a lot easier and a lot less lonely. I know that many of us here have experienced a loss in our lives that has been significant, and I hope that we can learn from the loved ones that have passed on and cherish the relationships that we have in our lives right now so that we can reach our full potential as God's children.

    This brings me to how this relates to the dress down day tomorrow. The Smiths have started a fund to get a memorial sports field in honor of my good friend Wes. He would have loved this because he enjoyed playing sports immensely. To me this field will in a way, be a spiritual work of mercy. This field will bring the Smiths so much comfort and solace after the loss of their son. It will also be meaningful to the Clarksville Academy community and everyone who was blessed to have their life touched by Wes. When I told Mrs. Smith that our school was going to have a dress down day in honor of her son, she was so touched she began to cry. I think that it is very appropriate that it is a blue and gold day because these are Clarksville Academy school colors as well, and Wes' favorite color was sunshine yellow. Wes loved his school and I feel that this is the perfect way to collect funding for his sports field.

    'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." I don't think that it is possible to fully understand the gravity of Lord Tennyson's words until a loss is actually experienced. We have all heard this quote numerous times and yet it takes on a new meaning for anyone who has lost someone special. We should celebrate those that we have lost and cherish the loved ones who are still with us now because we never know what God has planned. I feel like I'm a better person for knowing Wes. Like I said before, the Smiths need prayer more than anything, so if you have a little extra time tomorrow, it would mean so much to me if you could just say a little prayer for Wesley and his family. I never realized how hard loss could be until now, but I have also received the gift of love and comfort from all of my friends here at JP2. Thank you so much for supporting the Smiths, the community of Clarksville, and me. It means so much more than you'll ever know. God Bless you all.

    Tell a friend that you love them, you may never get another chance.