Jennifer Parks, 35.....R.I.P.
Jennifer Parks had just started her third year of teaching kindergarten at Anaverde Hills School in Palmdale.
She was attending the Sunday night concert with her husband, who was injured in the shooting, Westside Union School District Supt. Regina Rossall said, and she has two children: one in the elementary school where she taught and one in high school.
Parks was “the kind of teacher everybody wants their children to have.” Rossall said. “Every child in her class was the most important child to her.”
“She just has a zest for life,” Rossall said before correcting herself. “Or, had a zest for life. I can’t even say it that way.”
The school district learned of Parks’ death Monday morning, and the school’s principal asked parents to talk to their children.
“Obviously [in] kindergarten that’s a hard concept to grasp,” Rossall said. A crisis counselor who is familiar with the school is also in the classroom Tuesday, she said.
Parks was “a blessing to our school district and our students,” Rossall said. “It is just unfortunate that she will not get to share her joy of learning with more students.”