Bellefonte Regional High School. Photo by Jeff Rushton | stateuniversity.com
A Bellefonte Regional High School student drowned Saturday while swimming in Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County, Principal Michael Feddison said in an email to families Sunday.
Nathan Dunn, a 16-year-old sophomore, “has been a student and valued member of the school community since he started elementary school in the Bellefonte Area School District,” Fedison wrote.
According to Huntingdon State Police, emergency responders were called to the lake on Susquehannock Road in Penn Township around 5:15 p.m. Saturday after a boy who was swimming in the lake went underwater and did not resurface. .
He was found dead after a search involving state police, the Marklesburg and Smithfield fire companies, the state Fish and Boat Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Huntingdon County Coroner's Office.
Nathan was an athlete at Bellefonte Regional High School, playing sports such as lacrosse and basketball.
“I know that he deeply impacted the lives of many people,” Fedison wrote. “The death of such a bright and energetic young man is an immeasurable loss that leaves a void in the hearts of all of us.”
Counseling services will be provided to students, faculty and staff, and the Keystone exam session scheduled for Monday will be postponed.
Fedison added that if a student needs additional support, families should contact high school administration or guidance office staff.
“My deepest condolences to Nathan's family,” he wrote. “Please join us in remembering Nathan and remembering his family during this incredibly difficult time.”
