PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thousands of people are petitioning to name a new Lower Merion school after a beloved principal who tragically died in a car crash over the weekend.
Lower Merion High School Principal Sean Hughes died Saturday morning. He was killed in a car accident while driving his son to a soccer game in Winslow Township, New Jersey. His son suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Hughes was beloved as the school’s principal for 14 years. He also served as a teacher and athletic director.
Related
An online petition is garnering a lot of attention in the wake of his death. In a heartfelt post, the petition asks for the new middle school opening next fall to be named in his memory.
“We can think of no better way to honor such an important man in our lives than to name the new middle school ‘Sean Hughes Memorial Middle School,’ ” the petition says.
As of Monday morning, more than 4,300 people have signed it.
The petition goes on the call Hughes “so much more” than the principal. He was “our most loyal friend. Our biggest cheerleader. Our partner in crime. … He lifted us up, made us believe, and showed us how to be our best selves.”
Memorials were crafted at the school in his honor, some with his slogan, “character counts.”
“Through every challenge and tragedy, in our greatest moments of joy and achievement, and especially in those small moments when it shouldn’t have mattered at all, Mr. Hughes was there. With a hug, a high-five, or a knowing smile,” the petition continues. “We know that Mr. Hughes’ extraordinary legacy will live on in the generations of Aces he touched and impacted.”
Hughes is survived by his daughter Kate, sons Nolan and Jack, and his wife Kristi.