High school senior drowns Thursday

JACKSONVILLE — An Eastern North Carolina student who drowned last week is being remembered as a great kid who was a leader among students.

Shakhym Tambu Pershey, a 19-year-old Southwest Onslow High School senior football player, drowned Thursday evening after going missing in the water sometime around 6 p.m. near the Onslow County Beach Access No. 4 on the New River Inlet Road.

His body was recovered early Friday morning.

“He was out swimming with some friends, he went missing, they notified emergency management,” said Barry Collins, the assistant superintendent of the Onslow County School System. Collins said at least one of the friends was also a Southwest student.

Witnesses state that they saw Pershey go under the water approximately 100 yards off the shore, according to NTB officials. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine Corps’ PEDRO search and rescue helicopter responded to the scene to assist in the search.

Firefighter Chad Walker, with Turkey Creek Fire and Rescue, said Pershey was fighting an undertow and that rescue officials searched until the light was too dim to do so.

SWO Principal Tim Foster went out to North Topsail late Thursday night.

“Shak was a friend to all, one of those kids you saw interacting with all students,” Foster said. “Shak never met a stranger, always had a smile and was loved by his teachers and coaches and he loved them back. Shak Pershey had the heart of a Stallion.”

Pershey’s body was recovered at approximately 2:15 a.m. Friday morning.

Pershey played football with Emily Prestley’s brother and, she said, he was like another brother to her.

“He was easy to talk to. He was nice, he was never rude,” she said. “When he saw someone getting made fun of he would step up and say, ‘Hey don’t say that.’ That’s just how he was.”

The mood at school Friday, she said, was somber.

“I don’t understand why because he’s a strong guy I was hoping he’d be able to pull himself out and when I found out I just laid on my bed and I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t move,” Prestley said. “… I’ve never heard Southwest be so quiet. It was so depressing. Everyone had their heads down; everyone was crying.”

Southwest Onslow High School head football coach Phil Padgett said Pershey was a role model.

“Great kid, that is the main thing to say, he was a leader in the school,” Padgett said. “He will be missed by the students, coaches, faculty, and everyone that knew him. Led us to a state championship because of his leadership. He will always be remembered as a quality kid who had a smile on his face and love for everyone. One of a kind.”

SWOHS parents Grady and Jamie Thompson said Pershey’s death is devastating, especially considering how bright his future promised to be.

“It’s hard to swallow considering he was about to graduate, about to go to college,” Jamie Thompson said.

Their son played football with Pershey, and Grady Thompson said his death has left a “hole in the hearts” of many.

“Shak was like the king of school,” Jamie Thompson said.

Rep. Phil Shepard R-Onslow, learned of Pershey’s death Thursday evening while driving back from Raleigh. He said several members of his congregation at Lighthouse Baptist Church alerted him to the incident.

Shepard told the Jacksonville Daily News the death of Pershey is “like losing one of our own. The Southwest community is tight.”

Upon his return home, Shepard drove to North Topsail Beach where he was joined by others, including Padgett. Shepard, an ardent Stallions’ football fan, said Pershey was a fine young man and had accomplished so much.

“It’s times like this that we put our faith and trust in God,” Shepard said.

The school district deployed a team of guidance counselors to the school Friday morning to help students with their grief, Collins said.

“We have a plan in place. We have a crisis assistance team, a 10- to 12-member team of guidance counselors,” he said. “We deploy the crisis assistance team to the school to help them get through the grieving process.”

Collins said the counselors were called in Thursday night and met at the school Friday morning.

“The atmosphere at the school this morning is very quiet and somber with the students,” he said Friday.

The administration will determine on Tuesday morning if the counselors are still needed by the student body, Collins said. The school system also has a crisis management plan in place for the long-term grieving process, Collins said.

Pershey split his time between North Carolina and Oceanside, Calif., where his father, Staff Sgt. Corey Mitchell, had been stationed.

Pershey played quarterback and defensive back for the Stallions’ football team. The Daily News honored him as its 2012 player of the year. He led the Stallions to the NCHSAA 1AA football title in December with a 44-34 win over the defending champion, Swain County.

While Pershey was officially No. 12 on the Southwest roster, Grady Thompson said, he is “No. 1 in everyone’s heart.”

Daily News columnist Mike McHugh contributed to the report.