It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to our beloved teacher, colleague, and friend — Steven Tadeo. This is a time of tremendous grief and loss for our community and for Steven’s friends and family 💜
For those that haven’t heard, Steven Tadeo, History Teacher Extraordinaire, was killed in an accident this Sunday, March 19, returning home from Spring Break. No doubt he was excited to get back to his students and to experience the once-in-a-lifetime Sojourn Project trip he was scheduled to attend starting this Thursday.
He knew how to elicit joy and curiosity in students, and how to help them feel meaningfully connected to their place in history. He was a bright light on the Inspire campus, and on this planet, and he will be deeply missed.
We are struggling mightily to understand and accept this loss, and we appreciate your understanding and support as we, the Inspire community of students and staff, navigate how we will grow through this time. It will be a thing we come to process in differing stages and differing ways. But we are resilient, and grief is multifaceted. Grief is any response to loss, and the process will look different for all of us. There is no right or wrong way for anyone to feel. We are immensely grateful to our friends at the Butte County Office of Education for their support in helping guide us all through this difficult time. Today, we choose to lean into the moments of gratitude for the beautiful impact Steven Tadeo has left behind.
We know that many of you are hoping for a way to honor Mr. Tadeo’s life as a community. His friends and family have extended the invitation to our Inspire family to join them for a Candlelight Memorial Ceremony on Friday, March 24 at 6 pm at One Mile Recreation Area in Bidwell Park. The family would be grateful for donations of vigil candles that can be held safely. The candles can be dropped off in the Inspire main office between 8:30 am and 4 pm Tuesday – Friday. If you’re inclined, you can also donate to their GoFundMe and support Steven’s family with the funeral and other expenses by clicking here.
We love you all. Tadeo loved you all. Tadeo-hana forever. #VivaTadeo
