SCHA Student Drowns in Pool During Elementary Grad Party

A freshman student from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy died Friday after he was found in the deep end of his family's backyard pool, according to a press release from the Whitemarsh Police Department.

Police say the the 15-year-old was at a fourth-grade graduation party being held by his family at their home in Lafayette Hill. Approximately 18-20 10-year-old children were in attendance, along with "a few" parents, when the incident occurred around 6:50 p.m.

After the teen's father realized that his son had not been seen for several minutes, the man went into the pool and found him at the bottom of the eight-foot deep end, the release said.

According to the report, the man pulled his son from the pool and attempted to resuscitate him with the help of other parents. Responding Whitemarsh Police officers also attempted to perform CPR and use a defibrillator, but they were unable to revive him. The teen was then taken by ambulance to the Chestnut Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:07 p.m.

According to the release, police at the scene reported that visibility in the pool was approximately 18 inches at the time of the incident. The report did not say whether or not the pool was open to or being used by family and guests.

An online obituary for the teen said that he was a freshman at the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and a winner of the school's 2011-12 scholar-athlete-citizen award. His interests included swimming, football, lacrosse, crew, acting and speech, and he was a cancer survivor, the obituary said.

Editor's note: Patch has decided to withhold the identity of the teenager out of consideration for his family. Any readers seeking funeral arrangement information can e-mail editor Kaitlyn Foti at Kaitlyn.Foti@Patch.com.