Melrose Grieving Together Through Loss Of Elementary School Student

MELROSE, MA — Community support continues to grow and remains on display in the form of flower bouquets, hand-written notes, drawings, and items outside Winthrop Elementary School more than a week after a student was killed by a falling tree on the playground.

Zakaria Bel-Qaid, 9, was one of three taken to the hospital after the incident on Monday, May 4 that solicited a heavy response from local police, emergency services, and the District Attorney’s Office. School and city officials announced Tuesday morning that Bel-Qaid had succumbed to his injuries. According to his family, the boy spent his last moments playing tag with his younger sister and friends.

What started out as just a few offerings at the outer gate of the school on 162 First St. quickly became an overwhelming tribute the next day, with some new mementos a week later.

Among the memorial this Wednesday were multiple baseball caps, as Bel-Qaid was a member of the Incarnation Little League. The league recently worked together with the local community studio Follow Your Art to organize an artistic gathering meant to honor Bel-Qaid’s life.

“The Bel Qaids are part of the Follow Your Art Community Studios family. Zakaria, with his million dollar smile and his loving dedication to drawing excavators, was a steady presence at The Big Yellow House for a few years,” the organization said in a statement. “He always kept us on our

toes with his creative ideas, and we just can't imagine a world without his big energy and even bigger heart. We'll miss you”

The “Time for Reflection: Rocks and Ribbons” event was held at Memorial Hall on 590 Main St. this past Saturday in which attendees were able to customize rocks in memory of Bel-Qaid as well as take ribbons to display in demonstration of shared grief. The ribbons were available in green, Bel-Qaid’s favorite color.

“Grief is a weight that is difficult to bear alone,” Follow Your Art said about its community art event.

Skis were also hung on the fence in honor of Bel-Qaid’s favorite passion. The student took home awards from Green Mountain Academy nonprofit ski and snowboard club in Stowe, Vermont. All proceeds of the Zakaria Bel-Qaid Memorial Fund will go toward Green Mountain Academy.



"It's pretty grounding to have a tragedy like this hit the community. But I think that we are resilient, and I think we're going to sort of deal with it together and work our way through it," Executive Director of Green Mountain Academy Noah Labow said in a statement to NBC 5 Vermont. “We're so proud that he was able to set those goals and achieve them. And it doesn't seem real. That's the last thing that you would ever expect.”

The tree was removed from the playground premises on the day of the incident, however police tape remained around the entire outdoor property for multiple days following. Now, the playground structure is the only thing cordoned off.

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