District 70 offers counseling following death of student
The close-knit Libertyville Elementary District 70 school community will provide help to those hurting over the recent death of 10-year-old Antonio James “Tony” Borcia, who was heading into the fifth grade at Butterfield School.
Psychologists and social workers will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Educational Resource Center, across from the school at 1381 W. Lake St., Libertyville, to help students and parents with the grieving process.
The free service will be offered in confidential settings. Counselors will help students deal with grief and explain to parents what to expect as their child goes through the grieving process. Counselors also will suggest books to help adults and children deal with the loss.
Borcia, described as a well-known leader at the Libertyville school, was killed Saturday after he fell from an inner tube on Petite Lake near Lake Villa and was struck by a motorboat. The matter is being investigated; no charges have been filed.
District 70 has not experienced a student death in many years, officials said, and finds itself in an unusual circumstance. Staff who are off for the summer are being located to help in advance of the boy’s visitation and funeral.
Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Koenig Center of St. Joseph Church, the building next-door and east of the church, 121 E. Maple Ave., Libertyville. A mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church.
Entombment will follow at Ascension Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums.
Survivors include his parents, Jim and Margaret; two sisters, Kaeleigh and Erin; a brother, Joseph; his grandparents; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Catherine Morrison.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Libertyville Little League, P.O. Box 546, Libertyville, 60048 or to the Sterny Way Foundation, P.O. Box 6379, Libertyville.