CINCINNATI -- St. Bernard teens are standing together to help heal the hurt left after the tragic death of their classmate.
Hailey Hall, 16, was badly beaten and passed away on March 14. Hall was a student at St. Bernard - Elmwood Place High School.
"She was an amazing person," said Scott Resibord, Assistant Principal at St. Bernard - Elmwood Place High School. "She was a bright young lady and she was a Titan. She was our family too."
Background: 16-year-old dies after beating, police say, 34-year-old charged in her death
Read more: Teen who died of beating after two weeks in a coma remembered as 'so bright' and 'so smart'
A student group called "Beat the Hurt" was established before Hall was taken to the hospital and before she succumbed to her injuries. At the time, the group was meant to be a place for students to talk about their issues together, according to the group's leader Skyla Johnson.
"If you feel like you're alone then you feel like you have no purpose," Johnson, an eighth grader, said. "You think there's no way out. Without friends or anything, you feel like you can't do it. You can't get out even if it's the smallest little things."
But now, the group has become a place for students to grieve the loss of their classmate.
"Being in there is basically like the shovel to dig yourself out," Johnson said. "Showing that other people have lived through their things showing. Showing that other people have coped through it."
The group started with eight members. Now, it's a haven for students recovering after the death of their classmate -- in a few weeks, the group grew to 62 members.
"I'm sure next week it will be at 70, but any student who wants to beat the hurt is more than welcome to come," Resibord said.
Resibord worked with Johnson to help make her vision for the group take form, the student said.
"All of our young people know that," Resibord said. "We're listening, we're hearing you and you're valued."
