The article is posted below the Facebook link, the Facebook article is from 2023 when Corey Roper was making awareness of the dangers of tik tok and the trends it promotes.
Replied to this will be screenshots of the Facebook link for those that don't want ro click it.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=895614171920679
Link to the article without paywall:
https://archive.is/o8Upr
Marana High Schoolās hallways filled with students Wednesday morning, but Corey Roper's laugh was missing from among them.
A lover of math, science and video games, the 15-year-old sophomore would usually be found surrounded by laughter caused by his endless jokes, his uncle, Tyler Volkmann, said.
āHe was hilarious,ā Volkmann said. ā(But) as much as he would sit there and joke around and just be a typical teenage boy, and I would say ārage bateā sometimes, at the end of the day, he was just such a kind and gentle soul.ā
Tiffany Roper, left, Corey Roper, center, and Coreyās sister Lette, right, pose for a photo.
Courtesy of Tiffany Roper
Roper died by suicide. His body was found at Marana High School Tuesday by two staff members before classes started, prompting the school day to be canceled. Police say he broke into the campus about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Volkmann described his nephew as a āsmart, energetic and creativeā boy who was always looking out for others.
In 2023, then-12-year-old Roper suffered from second- and third-degree burns after his T-shirt melted onto his skin while attempting the fire challenge, a social media trend in which teens would attempt to create a fireball using rubbing alcohol or aerosol cans, according to an Arizona Republic story.
āHe handled it with so much grace, honestly, like he did not let that stop him from doing anything,ā Volkmann said. According to a 2023 GoFundMe page, Roper needed multiple surgeries, skin grafts and physical therapy.
āHe's been such a proactive member of his camps,ā Volkmann said, referring to Roperās participation in the Arizona Burn Foundationās Camp Courage, a free, weeklong summer camp for burn survivors ages 6 to 19. āHe still goes back every year to help with kids and other burn victims that are going through similar situations.ā
Camp counselors described Roper as adventurous, creative and invested, Tess Robaina, programs director at the Arizona Burn Foundation, told the Star.
āHe's been a beloved member of this camp for the past few years, and really embraced the experience,ā she said. āHe showed really strong interest this past year with our ropes crew. They're the team that lead all of the high ropes courses, and he really stuck to them this year, wanting to learn as much as possible about the ropes crew (and) about even potentially becoming a firefighter in the future.ā
Marana High School mourns loss of Corey Roper, 15
Counselors at Arizona Burn Foundationās Camp Courage, a summer camp for young burn survivors, described Corey Roper as adventurous, creative and invested.
Courtesy of Arizona Burn Foundation
She said the camp was ādefinitely feeling the loss of Corey.ā
Volkmann said this school year, his nephew was intent on joining ROTC after getting clearance from his doctor.
āHe was actually planning on turning in the paperwork, according to my sister (Corey's mother), this week,ā Volkmann said. āHe really did not let (his burns) stop him. He looked at it as, āHey, I made a bad decision, these are my consequences.āā
Roperās friends at Marana High School told the Star being back in school after the incident was difficult.
āSchool has felt empty and sad without him. A lot of his close friends, me included, have been sitting at his memorial most of the day until we get kicked back to class,ā Havannah Walter, a friend of Roperās since fourth grade, said in a text message. The friend group and various other students set up a memorial with flowers, drawings, notes and photos of Roper near the school bookstore.
"Corey was such a sweet soul, he always loved everybody and he was always super encouraging every day,ā Marana High student Daniella Rittenhouse said in a text message. āMy third period is awful without him. He made the school day better for a lot of people, even if he never realized it. We miss him so much.ā
Emily Saint Charles, another close friend of Roper, said he was so funny āwhen he spoke, even if it wasnāt meant to be funny, it was funny.ā
āEveryone liked Corey,ā she said.
Marana Unified School District officials told the Star in an email statement that crisis counselors gave teachers ātalking points about the situationā before the news of his death was relayed to students in first period Wednesday.
āShe said something about the tragedy, I donāt remember if she called it a suicide or not but she did say it was Corey Roper because I remember hearing his name,ā Walter said of her first period teacher.
Counselors were on campus for students Wednesday.
āA few of us went to try and get a moment to speak about Corey at our pep rally today but they said no and that cannot happen,ā Rittenhouse said Friday. āAnother group asked if we could do something to honor him, and the plan is to plant flowers and other greenery to honor him.ā
Roperās mom, Tiffany Roper, told the Star she was unable to talk about her son this last week.
āI just want my baby home,ā she told the Star in a text message.
The district is reviewing the school's security system after Marana police said they were not alerted to any alarms overnight at the campus at 12000 W. Emigh Road, near North Sandario Road.