Current and past students of fifth-grade teacher Caitlin Follstad described the impact she had on their lives during a gathering at a crowded Anacortes church Friday, April 12. Flowers and pictures of tulips adorned the church wall near two photos of Follstad.
Follstad was quick to smile and to offer encouragement. Her classroom was described as a safe space, one student said, where it was OK to make mistakes and where everyone was welcomed.
The 41-year-old Island View Elementary school teacher died Tuesday, April 9 after she was found by Anacortes Police inside a residence, stabbed to death. Her husband, Kevin, is considered a suspect.
A vehicle belonging to the couple was found in the center island of Deception Pass Bridge, and earlier in the afternoon, multiple agencies responded to a call of a body in the water. Anacortes Police believe the body is that of Kevin Follstad, 41, but the body had not been recovered as of Wednesday afternoon.
Law enforcement is planning how to recover the body and will likely start next week, according to police.
On Friday, Caitlin Follstad was honored at the Family Life Church by her students and by the school community. Anacortes School District Superintendent Justin Irish said Follstad was an integral part of the school community.
Pastor Brent Osburn, who led the service, encouraged families and children to grieve but to remember that “in the days and the weeks and months and years moving forward, we are together. We are there to listen to one another. We’re there to support one another and to care for one another.”
During the hour-long service, over a dozen children ranging from fourth graders to seventh graders passed a microphone down the line as they shared stories about Follstad inside and outside the classroom, with laughter and sniffles from parents, teachers and community members throughout.
Follstad wasn’t afraid to show her feelings, students said, from her crying during a read-aloud of “Esperanza Rising” to tearing up during short videos she would show the class about everyday kindness. One student, Greta, said Follstad always knew what to say when someone was mad or sad.
A former student, Amelia, said, “The fact that she was showing emotion so easily helped me be able to realize that it was OK to have more emotion.”
Students said she made them feel supported and seen, especially when it came to getting help for math since Follstad was a math support teacher.
She gave out M&M’S to students as treats — and sometimes as bribes for good behavior — traded high-fives and fist-bumps, and always entertained with stories from her days as a kindergarten teacher in Hawaii. On nice days, Follstad and students would go to the school’s garden for reading time.
And for some students, like Alice who needed encouragement from her classmates and held the hand of the student next to her, Follstad “was always there for me whenever I needed … she was sort of like a mom to me.”
The Anacortes School District is requesting if community members want to donate food to coordinate with the district communication manager, Nicole Tesch. It’s also requesting in lieu of flower donations to Island View Elementary that community members donate gardening supplies, such as tools, equipment, vegetable seeds and starts, and perennials, to the Island View Garden Club.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
