One of two people killed in the school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday, Oct. 24, is a Dittmer woman with strong connections to Jefferson County and Eureka.
Jean Kuczka, 61, and Alexandria Bell, a 15-year-old student at CVPA, were killed in the shooting, and seven other teenagers were injured. Four of those seven teens were shot, two had abrasions and one had a fractured ankle.
Kuczka, a health and physical education teacher at the St. Louis high school, was the wife of Steve Kuczka, vice president of the Grandview R-2 School District Board of Education.
One of her five children, daughter Abigail “Abbey” Kuczka, works in human resources at Pony Bird Inc., a residential care facility for people with profound disabilities that has homes in Mapaville and De Soto.
In addition, Jean Kuczka’s son, Joseph Kuczka, is a corporal for the Eureka Police Department.
On its Facebook page, the Police Department extended its “deepest sympathies to Cpl. Joseph Kuczka and his entire family.”
“Joe's mother was a beloved teacher at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and was a victim of yesterday's senseless act of violence,” the Police Department said. “Joe is not only an employee of our department, he is a son, a father and a friend. We stand behind him and his family during these very difficult times.”
Grandview School District Superintendent Matt Zoph also issued a statement offering his condolences.
“Although we never think it will affect us, this time it has struck the Grandview family both in physical proximity and as a blow to us personally,” Zoph said in a written statement. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the Kuczka family and all of the students, families and educators that were impacted by this senseless tragedy.”
CVPA is a magnet school that is part of the St. Louis Public Schools system, which issued a written statement about the tragedy today, Oct. 25.
“As we move into our first day helping students and families recover from the tragedy that occurred at CVPA and Collegiate High Schools, we want to acknowledge our collective heartbreak at the loss of 15-year-old student Alexandria Bell and 61-year-old P.E. teacher Jean Kuczka,” said George Sells, director of communications and marketing for St. Louis Public Schools.
Kuczka had been teaching in the St. Louis Public Schools system for 20 years.
“I cannot imagine myself in any other career but teaching,” she said in her biography on the high school’s website. “In high school, I taught swimming lessons at the YMCA. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I believe that every child is a unique human being and deserves a chance to learn.”
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department received a call at 9:10 a.m. that there was an active shooter in the school and officers were on the scene within a couple of minutes, said interim Police Commissioner Michael Sack.
“As kids were fleeing out of the building, (officers) talked to some of the kids who told them that there was a shooter with a long gun,” he said.
Police found and shot the suspect, Orlando Harris, 19, who recently graduated from the school and had no previous criminal history.
Sack said Harris was reported shot and down at 9:25 a.m. He was transported to an area hospital, where he died.
No officers were injured, Sack said.
He said Harris had an AR-15 rifle and more than 600 rounds with him.
After the shooting, police also found a document Harris had written that included plans for the shooting. The note also said he felt alone.
Sack said the school doors were locked, but he would not say how the suspect entered the building.
The others who were injured in the shooting included three 16-year-olds and four 15-year-olds, Sack said.
Kuczka graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1979 and attended Southwest Missouri State University, now known as Missouri State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education. She began her teaching career at Seven Holy Founders in Affton, according to the school’s website.
She began teaching in St. Louis Public Schools at Carr Lane VPA Middle School in 2002 and transferred to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in 2008.
In addition to their five children, she and her husband have seven grandchildren.
Kuczka enjoyed bike riding and helped the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Ride to Cure to raise money to find a cure for the disease.