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SCHOOLS
Southside Elementary honors 9-year-old who died over summer
HUNTINGTON -- Southside Elementary lost one of its students during the summer, but Principal John Hanna wanted to make sure he wasn't forgotten.
On Tuesday morning, Hanna dedicated a plaque in honor of 9-year-old Morgan Stolze, who died July 20 from complications related to his severe diabetes. The plaque now hangs in the main hall of the school, after it was hung by Morgan's mother, Erin Stolze, and his half-brother, Tylon Evans, who also is a Southside student.
"It means everything," Erin Stolze said through tears, adding that Morgan would want his friends to know he misses them. "He would want his classmates to know he's in their hearts."
At 9 a.m., Hanna welcomed students and teachers back to school, then read an announcement about Morgan's death.
"Over the summer, Morgan Stolze died from medical complications," Hanna said. "We're putting a plaque on the wall to remember Morgan ... and the sweet kid he was."
Erin Stolze, her mother Patti Stolze and Morgan's godmother Sara Jones all described him as a typical little kid, energetic and playful. Jones said he never let his disability ruin a day at the park.
"He was passionate and smart beyond his years," Patti Stolze said of her grandson.
Morgan, they said, loved to read and sing, and a was a big fan of "High School Musical." They said he was a kid that always made the people around him feel special, and "he didn't have a selfish bone in his body."
The plaque for Morgan, who was born July 28, 1998, to Erin Stolze and Larry Choates, read, "In Loving Memory of Morgan Stolze. He will be greatly missed by the staff and students of Southside Elementary."
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