by Ellen Kirkness ‘12

Last Tuesday, the Olney community gathered at the Greene Turtle to raise money and offer support to the Popecks.

A life is not defined by the number of days one lives, but instead by the number of lives one touches with the days he is given. Alex Popeck, born September 28, 1993, spent exactly 17 years, three months and 10 days in this world and, in that time, impacted the lives of thousands.

“Alex will always be remembered as the good soul of Sherwood, Olney and the community as a whole. Although only 17-years-old, Alex taught life lessons and ways of life to live by. Alex truly defined a person of great love and character,” said junior Blake Bonita.

On the morning of December 12, Alex, a junior, suffered grave injuries in a single-vehicle incident as he and two friends made their way to an OBGC basketball practice. On New Hampshire Avenue, near the intersection of Brooke Road, Alex’s car skidded on ice and veered off the road, striking a tree on the driver’s side. While the two other passengers sustained relatively minor injuries and were released from medical care within a short period of time, Alex remained critical condition. He was in a coma until he died at a hospice on January 7.

For the past two months, a community of individuals, usually separated by school, age and interest, became one. The community bond could be seen on Alex’s Facebook page and CaringBridge site; Alex gained the prayers of hundreds, no, thousands, of friends, parents, acquaintances and strangers, each who offered his or her own condolences. Each day saw countless pages worth of new posts wishing a fast recovery and return to the community. Even after his death, the community continued to post messages online, recalling meaningful memories of Alex.

“Alex was best at treating everyone like they were a million bucks and making everyone feel like they are worth something. Alex brought tons of people together because he literally had a positive interaction with everyone he met,” said junior Kelly Kendall.

The CaringBridge site, made by Bart Popeck, Alex’s father, supplied the community with daily updates of his son’s condition while he was in the hospital. With each update, the community became more and more emotionally invested in the tragedy. The site allowed anyone to write a message to Alex. Bart Popeck, as promised, read every single post to his son.

As well as showing care and hope on the Internet, the community gathered as one on multiple occasions. Shortly after the accident, many congregated for a prayer service at Longwood Recreational Center on December 17, during which anyone who had a story to tell or a memory to share could speak in front of everyone. One teammate of Alex’s spoke about one of her first experiences on the track team in which she recalled struggling to keep up with the pace of many of the other girls. Upon recognizing a teammate in need, Alex took it upon himself to encourage the new runner with words of support. The motivation kept her feet going, one step after the other.

Additionally, many students gathered in science teacher Jim Douglas’ room at lunch on January 5 to pray and hold one another’s hands in hope that Alex would soon return to health. Recently, on February 8, the Greene Turtle was packed from wall to wall during a fundraising event to raise money to offset the expenses from Alex’s time in the hospital. Arm bands and T-shirts displaying a Never Back Down motto were sold at the entrance. Not a seat was empty as the community proved its support for the Popeck family. Community members can continue to donate to the Alex Popeck Memorial Foundation.

When Alex died, the community came together not to dwell in sorrow but to celebrate his life. Experiencing the loss of such an influential spirit is emotionally shattering, yet, as a direct result of Alex himself, the Olney Community has learned to find strength. Never Back Down has become the signature motto linked to both Alex’s life and his month-long fight in the hospital. With a smile on his face and a fire under his feet, he taught everyone he interacted with to live by the motto which makes his life so easy to celebrate.

Alex’s funeral was held on January 10 at the B’nai Shalom in Olney. The procession brought together more than 2,000 people to celebrate Alex’s life and listen to the words of Alex’s father, mother, brother and aunt. Matt Popeck, Alex’s younger brother, spoke not only of some of his favorite memories of his brother, but also the inspiration that those memories have given him. The weekend after the passing of his brother, Matt wore Alex’s shoes in his basketball game and scored 17 points, more points than he had ever scored before.

Alex was well-known for his inexhaustible positive attitude, which must have contributed to his successes as an athlete. As a leading runner on the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track teams, Alex proved his unremitting effort. In his last race, on the evening before his accident, he ran a 4×400 relay with seniors Jackson Reams and Loren Heap and junior Nick Johnson. Alex broke his personal record by over a second, coming in at 52.4.

“I will always remember him as a person that didn’t let the small things in life get him down and always had a great spirit even in bad times. He taught me to live life to the fullest and cherish the opportunities we have each day,” said junior Connor Welch.