ILWACO — Students and staff at Hilltop Middle School have been carrying a heavy heart in recent weeks, following the sudden passing of an administrator and colleague.

The school’s assistant principal, Ed Bear, died late last month. Bear was in his second year as assistant principal at Hilltop, and his third year overall with Ocean Beach School District after previously serving as the school’s dean of students.

Graduating from Portland State University in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in health education, Bear was a longtime educator. He previously served as an administrator at Portland Public Schools from 2007-10 after receiving his master’s degree in education administration from the University of Phoenix in 2006, and before that he worked for 17 years as a teacher and coach at the Hillsboro School District in the Portland suburbs.

While acknowledging Bear’s passing and the impact it’s had on the school community, district superintendent Amy Huntley commended Hilltop’s staff and students for their response.

“Our kids and staff did a stellar job,” Huntley said. “It’s one of the hardest things that staff is ever gonna have to do, because I got the call that morning [on Sept. 23] at about 6:45 — there was not time to notify the entire staff … teachers were literally getting information about an hour before they had to share that information with kids.

“So trying to process their own grief and deal with the children’s grief, it was a hard day but I can honestly say how proud I am of those teachers. They stepped right up not only to support the students but to support each other, because of course everyone grieves in separate ways.”

Huntley also praised the response from the community, which included faith leaders and mental health workers coming to Hilltop to meet with students and staff who needed someone to talk to. The Dylan Jude Harrell Community Center also brought snacks and donuts for the staff the following morning and throughout the week.

“We don’t know yet how we’re going to fill the very large shoes that Mr. Bear is leaving at the school, but we are working on a plan both short-term and then interim for the rest of the year to get us through this,” Huntley said. “It’s a very devastating loss. He was one of the most caring human beings I’ve ever worked with; [he had] a huge heart, and was like a father to those kids.”

Remembering Ed Bear

As students and staff continue to process Bear’s passing, plans are being made at the school to honor his memory.

Following a staff meeting last week, Hilltop Principal Cheri Lloyd said it’s been decided that a mural will be created at the school to memorialize Bear. The mural will incorporate a bear because, according to Lloyd, “he loved a good play on words.”

Hilltop also plans on holding a ‘Bear’ drive during the holiday season, where students will be encouraged to bring in stuffed bears that will be donated to those in need. “He was always talking about being kind to others,” Lloyd added, calling him a passionate and dedicated assistant principal “who brought warmth and joy to the halls of our school.”

“He had a special knack for understanding the unique challenges of adolescence and always found ways to support students through tough times,” Lloyd said. “His sense of humor was legendary, and he had a seemingly endless supply of dad jokes that brought smiles to the faces of everyone he encountered. Ed’s positive spirit, unwavering dedication to education, and genuine care for others left a lasting impact on our community.”

Fond memories

Over the past couple of weeks, the school has compiled dozens of responses from students and staff sharing their memories of Mr. Bear. Several students remembered how he would play volleyball, basketball and kickball with them during recess, and another recalled Mr. Bear giving him and his friends leftover pizza from lunch.

“We shared a dislike for mayonnaise,” one student noted, while another remembered when Mr. Bear helped her with her locker. “Last year he said my Halloween costume was cool.”

“Last year, around this time of the year, I had come to school. I also remember I was scared, but Mr. Bear had been showing me around the school and made me more comfortable. I have many more memories but this is the first one, and the most meaningful to me,” one student new to the district last year shared.

Like the students, his colleagues similarly remembered Bear for his kindness and sense of humor. Cindy Guzman, a bilingual paraeducator and family advocate at Hilltop, said his energy and presence changed the culture at the school and that what stuck out to her was his patience, recalling his relationship with her then three-year-old son when he first met Bear two years ago.

“My son … would get picked up from Hilltop in the morning,” Guzman explained. “Mr. Bear would try and make little conversation with him and my son would turn away, [but] Ed earned his trust and my son slowly started warming up to Mr. Bear. My son said his first full sentence to Mr. Bear and Ed celebrated him with a fist pump and the excitement that my son would say a new sentence everyday.

“Ed’s kindness to my son, and to many others, showed me he had a heart that was genuine. He was about building relationships, especially with students that struggled with that. He took the time to learn about them, to listen to them, nurture them, joke with them and the list goes on.”

Jake Gold, a Hilltop teacher, said Bear was “a joy to work with” and that he appreciated his calming but firm presence “that radiated care and concern for students no matter the situation.” Another teacher credits Bear’s support and suggestion that they be offered a job in the district in helping them achieve their dream of becoming a teacher.

“He supported me with kindness beyond words and however busy, he always made time to coach me when I needed it. His awesomeness and impact in our community will never be outlived.”