YOUNG people are receiving support and counselling following the fourth death of an Okehampton College pupil in six months.
Principal Chris Powell said it had been a very sad year for the college but a support system was in place to help youngsters deal with their grief.
Sixth form student Daniel Yeo, 17, died just a week after 11-year-old Tony Martin, who suffered from a heart condition. In October, Charlotte Saunders, 12, was tragically swept to her death while crossing a ford over the River Ockment, and seven weeks earlier 13-year-old Sarah Kennedy was killed in a car accident at Bondleigh.
Mr Powell said the pupils were all from different year groups and each group reacted in different ways.
'We had memorial services in two cases and there has been a lot of talking and listening going on,' he said. 'We have encouraged lots of youngsters to go to the funerals and staff have spent time with individuals giving them an opportunity to express their feelings, which is very important. A few youngsters have had more intensive counselling.'
Mr Powell said Daniel had begun to flourish in the last few months because he seemed to have found his vocation in life.
'He very much enjoyed the nursing care course he was studying and he was totally committed to it. Daniel had an incredibly well-developed sense of social responsibility and care for other people.'
He said Daniel would also be remembered for his sense of humour and as someone who stood up for what he believed in.
It has been a tough year for the principal who joined the college last January just before foot and mouth struck the area, forcing many pupils to be stranded at home on their family farms.
He said he had received tremendous support from staff and despite all the sadness and disruption this year, many good things had happened at the college. 'There are so many positive things in terms of pupils' achievements and we have to hold on to that,' he said.