Who was Cassidy Murray, Milton student who died in Aruba boating accident?

Cassidy Murray, a seventh-grader from Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, died in a boating accident in Aruba on Wednesday during a family trip. 

“It is with broken hearts that we share the news of the tragic passing of our daughter, Cassidy,” the Murray family said in a statement.

“Cassidy’s beautiful spirit, genuinely kind heart, bright mind, and joyful zest for life will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved her,” they added. 

Murray enjoyed engaging in sports activities including hockey and gymnastics. An Irish by ethnicity, the seventh-grader showcased her vibrant culture “with a Claddagh-ring mug and Celtic-cross plate that she made in ceramics class.”

According to Jennifer Pierce, head of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Murray possessed a “special gift” of making people around her joyous in her presence. 

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“Cassidy had a special gift for uniting classmates with her smile, laugh and genuine kindness. People just gravitated to her, drawn by her great sense of fun and camaraderie,” Pierce said. 

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Murray attended Milton’s Pierce Middle School before switching to Buckingham Browne & Nichols School this year. 

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“She wasted no time creating her own unique mark on the MS campus. Her ever-present smile, infectious laugh, and upbeat personality knit together any group she was a part of. Classmates gravitated to her because of her genuine kindness and quiet modesty. Her friends knew from the very first week of school that she would be a trusted, warm confidant with a great sense of fun and camaraderie,” Pierce added.

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“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of this vibrant young girl who had so much to offer and her whole life ahead of her,” Milton Public Schools Superintendent James Jette said.