R'Mon Rowley: An old soul with an infectious giggle who loved animals, anime and Swedish Fish
Who was R’Mon Rowley? He was a 15-year-old boy wise beyond his years, but always thirsting to learn more. He was an old soul, but quick to giggle. He was bold. He was a leader.
He loved anime and animals. He loved football. He had a quick wit, was a favorite of his teachers, and didn’t have an enemy.
He’s gone too soon. Those who knew and loved him are devastated.
“I'm heartbroken that he's gone,” said Carmella Sparrow, who taught his sixth-grade math class at KIPP Indy, a preparatory school.
Rowley, a freshman at Lawrence North, died on Monday, May 23 while a track and field practice was happening at the school. EMS responded to a call for a student in cardiac arrest. The cause of his death has not been released, and the township has not answered IndyStar questions regarding the specifics of what happened. Rowley was not on the track team, but was on the football team.
More on the late Lawrence North student: R'Mon Rowley was 'loved by all that knew him'
A spokesperson referred IndyStar to its statement about the incident released on Monday: “The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township and Lawrence North High School are extremely saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of a 15-year old freshman student this evening at Track & Field practice,” the township said in a statement Monday. “Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends, teachers, and classmates.”
A GoFundMe page was started to help raise money for Rowley’s funeral expenses. On the page, his aunt Tamica Russ talked about his love of anime, especially Naruto. Russ said Rowley “was excited about the opportunity to play high school football.” McNabb remembers him frequently throwing a football with his friends at school, and getting along with everybody — a rarity in middle school.
Sparrow met Rowley years ago. She’s taught hundreds of students, but Rowley was different. She saw his peers listen to him, respect him and follow his example.
“He was always kind, loving and respectful,” she said. “He never got into trouble for any reason. He had a joyful, loving spirit. He really set the culture for that set of boys, and the boys followed him.”
He was the one who spoke in front of the school at the annual KIPP Indy Student Summit, addressing hundreds of students in the school.
“He spoke in front of the entire school, and did it with elegance and eloquence,” Sparrow said. “He had no problems putting in the work to memorize the script. He had a maturity beyond his years.”
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He was the one who joined the Step Team — a form of dance that originated in the Black community.
“He was fearless. He would do things that other people wouldn't do,” Sparrow said. “Not a lot of boys would be on the Step team. He was such a leader, even in that space.”
Even after he left Sparrow’s class, he would always stop to say hello when he saw her in the hallway. He would message her during the day using the school’s communication system.
“He never passed my classroom or passed me in the hallway without saying hello or giving me a hug, acknowledging that he saw me there and that he was thinking of me,” she said.
Brittany McNabb taught Rowley’s eighth-grade homeroom class. She saw a student who drew other students and acted as a galvanizing force.
“He had a hilarious sense of humor,” Sparrow said. “He would maybe laugh if someone fell down, but he was also super kind. No one could ever say anything (bad) about him, because he was so well-liked.”
Sparrow was having trouble with a particular student, so she decided to have that student sit next to Rowley. Maybe he could guide the student, in that gentle sort of way.
“He was kind of curmudgeonly,” McNabb said. “I’d make fun of him. ‘You're such an old man.’ But he had such a great sense of humor. The student would do something in class, and R’Mon would just start to giggle, and then everyone would start to giggle.”
He wanted to be a zoologist, and was constantly telling his teachers and peers animal facts he’d learned. He wasn’t as strong in other subjects, but he never stopped trying to get better.
“He would get stuck on a written response, and he would ask for help,” McNabb said. “I'd sit with him for a minute and give him direction and he'd be like, ‘How do I do?’ He knew he wasn't naturally good at some of it, but he would be inquisitive, get feedback, and then be like, ‘Oh, OK, that's easy.’ Then he’d try it again. He’d not get hung up on things.”
He approached life with a relentless passion and a giving spirit. McNabb would put students’ names in a raffle for consistent attendance. Rowley’s favorite candy? Swedish Fish.
“You can picture R’Mon with a giant bag of Swedish Fish, just sharing with everybody,” McNabb said.
Whenever R’Mon was in a room, people would look to him — peers and teachers alike. McNabb said he had “a casual air of experience, almost like he had already been there.”
“He’s the kid who, when everything is going to hell in a handbasket, you just look at him and he gets it,” she said. “For an educator who is just trying to do a good job with their students, it's so encouraging to feel like you have an ally. He would give us grace, which is not a student's job. It's a teacher's job to give their students grace and understanding and patience.”
Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lawrence North student death: R'Mon Rowley was an ally for teachers
