Teachers, district leaders, friends remember Alex Pretti at Green Bay school board meeting
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WLUK) -- Former teachers and district leaders shared their memories of Alex Pretti at the Green Bay school board meeting Monday night.
Pretti, who was killed in Minneapolis Saturday during anti-ICE protests, grew up in Bellevue and graduated from Green Bay Preble High School in 2006, where mourners have formed a memorial in his honor.
Teachers say Pretti was witty, respectful
"He was smart, well-liked, respectful. Had a great sense of humor and was unfailingly kind," said Susan McAllister, Pretti's former teacher.
McAllister recalled his involvement in class, saying he sat up front. Teachers said he volunteered for anything, regardless of what they requested.
"I can vividly see him in my mind, standing in the bass section, right in front of me, second row, encouraging the young men around him with his quiet leadership skills," said McAllister.
Pretti also acted in school dramas and sang in choirs, even singing at his graduation.
"One of the things that he always did was brighten everyone's day with a joke or a witty comment," said former play director Carol Miller. "And I can see him doing that with the veterans as well, just to see a smile put back on their faces."
She continued, "He was just a very good person. And we will also always value his leadership and spread some of the kindness that he gave to others."
Childhood friends: 'Loss for the whole community'
"He was someone that always was helping the little kids in the Green Bay Boy Choir," said Mark Becker, who sang in the choir with Pretti. "To understand what that means, you have to understand how tight-knit of a group it was."
Added childhood friend Travis Vanden Heuvel, "Channeling Alex and who I knew, I'm going to say we as a district should be incredibly proud of this young man."
District leaders held moment of silence
"Alex was described by his friends and family as a conscientious, civic-minded individual who cared for veterans, his family and the people around him," said Green Bay School Board President James Lyerly.
The district held a moment of silence in his honor, and at one point, Superintendent Vicki Bayer fought back tears.
The tributes stretched beyond the board room Monday. At Preble High School, where Pretti graduated from in 2006, a memorial has formed. It features candles and flowers and wraps along the sign right along the road.
