They say a person’s essence is not obvious to everyone, but there is one student at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School who was known for her positive energy, acts of kindness, caring and strength to all she encountered. That person was high school sophomore, Zoe McMorran. Zoe passed away on March 19, 2017 from a rare form of brain cancer. Many of the Tri-County community wish to reflect on Zoe’s life and the impact she had on each of them.
Zoe began attending Tri-County in 2015 where she met her aid, Julie Caffrey. Julie fondly remembers how Zoe was always making her laugh. “The best times that we had were when it was just the two of us walking through the halls and talking about what happened during the day. Zoe was such a hard worker that I would have to tell her to take a break, since she would never tell me she needed one. We would walk down the hallways and she would say hi to everyone. This girl just wanted everybody to feel accepted. I will miss her presence in my life.”
Zoe’s love for children led her to enroll in the Early Education vocation as a freshman. During her time in Early Education, Zoe made an impact on all who knew her. Emily Doherty, a Tri-County sophomore in Early Education recalls, “I first met Zoe in freshman year in shop. I got along with her immediately. She walked in with a big smile on her face and looked like she was ready to take on the world. I remember a day that I had a lot of blocks everywhere to clean up. Even though she had a lot to clean up herself, Zoe dropped everything and came over to help me. It made me smile. I always think about it.”
According to her Early Education teachers, Dina Taylor and Michelle Tilden, “Zoe was a ray of sunshine who had a passion that filled us up with joy. She was really happy and wanted to genuinely know how you were doing. She was such a good example of a pure good human being. She left a big impression on our lives to persevere through anything and keep on going. She also taught us to be kind to others because you never know what someone is going through.”
Zoe enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program this past year to explore her love of cooking and baking. Anthony Tucker, a Culinary Arts sophomore student smiles while remembering, “I first met Zoe here in Culinary. She wanted to learn how to crack eggs. Zoe had some physical limitations, so I showed her how to do it properly with one hand. Every day she would tell jokes and would make us laugh. She was a good, positive person.” Fellow classmate Abbey Pacheco from agrees, “She was our designated egg cracker. Zoe definitely stood out, because she reminded me of my mother, who passed away this past summer of cancer. My mother was always smiling and going and was never down. Zoe was the same way.”
Nancy Haney, Zoe’s teacher in Culinary first met Zoe as a freshman in Student Council. “She loved her snacks. She was always smiling, contributed to what we were doing, always had something to say, and always tried her hardest. I was thrilled when she came to Culinary because I loved her so much.”
The friendships she made during her time at Tri-County were deeply meaningful to her. Fellow classmate and friend Shannon Zogalis recalls, “I met Zoe when we were in cheerleading together in North Attleboro and then again in high school. Zoe was brave. When you talked to her, she never acted like she was sick. She was just a normal kid. I would stay at the hospital with her,, and we’d do crafts and hang out all the time.” Adrianna Celese, a classmate and close friend of Zoe’s says Zoe was, “One of the sweetest people you would ever meet.”
Zoe’s twin sister, Avery McMorran lovingly remembers her sister, “She was my best friend. She was really nice and always included everyone. If she saw someone sitting alone, she would go and include them and made everyone feel welcome.”
Despite her untimely passing, Zoe’s legacy at Tri-County will live on through her kindness, caring, courage and strength and the memories of those who knew and loved her.
Issue Date:
July, 2017
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