RARITAN TOWNSHIP - When Allison Vandal was an eighth-grader at Readington Middle School, she, along with Maya Montell and Caroline Waters, produced a video about the creation of a poetry group at Readington Middle School that won the USC Shoah Foundation's 2016 iWitness Video Challenge.

The video focused on the creation of the students' Poets Undercover Guild, which provided an opportunity for their peers to express their feelings and appreciation for each other by using the power of words through of poetry.

When Vandal saw a fellow student crying, she explained that she felt an emotional connection and a desire to help.

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"That night, I sat down at my computer and thought about how she must be feeling and how I can empathize with her to make her feel better. I wrote a poem about how words are much stronger than people make them out to be," she said.

Two years later, the Hunterdon Central and Readington communities are mourning Vandal, a sophomore at the high school, who died Saturday.

The honors student committed suicide, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Moore announced with "great sadness."

"Allison was a very talented sophomore who was deeply involved in our arts programs," Moore said. "She and her family have been the focus of our thoughts and prayers since (last) Tuesday. The parents wish to thank the community for their ongoing support."

"I would like to thank the community for the meals, groceries, gifts and prayers you have delivered to the Vandal home," her maternal grandmother wrote on Facebook. "Special thanks to the parents and friends that have helped with the younger siblings. "

As an eighth-grader at Readington Middle School, she received the Youth Holocaust/Genocide Awareness Award sponsored by Kidsbridge Museum in partnership with the Axelrod Foundation and the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education. The award is presented annually to a student who has demonstrated an altruistic act of generating awareness, empathy and action for holocaust and/or genocide education.

Vandal — who played Golde in the high school production of "Fiddler on the Roof" — was nominated by the middle school's Gifted and Talented/Enrichment teacher Emily Bengels, who cited the student's commitment to empathy and action. Vandal wrote, cast and directed an anti-bullying play. She then adapted the play for younger audiences and presented it at the district's elementary schools.

For their video, the three students split a $5,000 scholarship from the foundation founded by filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

"We are heartbroken," Susan Wirt Mierzejwski wrote on Facebook. "We will show our support for all of our kids that experience depression, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and struggle every day with their inner demons by putting a ribbon around a tree/post/mailbox — purple & turquoise for suicide awareness and a white ribbon for Ally."

Raritan Township police responded to the high school at about 11:52 a.m. Tuesday for what police called "a student suffering a medical emergency." The student, who was not identified, was treated at the scene by police and taken to Hunterdon Medical Center.

The Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the death. No details have been released.

A statement about the incident was read in classes early Monday morning.

Hunterdon Central said will additional counselors on campus as long as necessary, Moore said.

"If parents have any concerns about their children, or about any child, please call the high school and let us know," Moore said. "Students may tell any teacher that they need help, or that they are concerned about another person. Students may also go directly to one of our counseling offices."

The superintendent reiterated that Hunterdon Central's primary goal "is to provide a safe and compassionate environment for our students."

"We will be providing additional counseling and taking extra precautions, but we will also follow our normal class schedule in order to create an atmosphere of routine and normalcy," he said.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com