School year gets off to somber start for eighth-grader

By Rhonda Simmons

Published: September 2, 2008

When Jordan Orndorff returns to St. Luke’s Lutheran’s Intermediate School, his classmates will be waiting with open arms.

The eighth-grader lost his 17-year-old sister, Kelsey, in a head-on collision Friday evening. The wreck also seriously injured Dr. James Bryon Cook of Commonwealth Medical in Culpeper.

“When Jordan is ready to come back, we want to give him a safe haven,” said St. Luke’s Pastor Angela Jennings, who is providing student counseling. “It’s just tragic all the way around.”

Nearly 220 students returned to St. Luke’s, located on Old Rixeyville Road, for opening day Tuesday.

During the school’s morning meeting, Jennings told the students to follow Jordan’s lead when he returns to his classes.

“If he wants to cry, we’ll cry with him. If he’s ready to laugh, we’ll laugh with him,” Jennings said. “We just want to embrace him and treat him like we’ve always treated him and let him know that we care about him.”

Jennings said the school’s morning prayers included both the Orndorff and Cook families.

“It’s our plan to be there for them and to provide that safe place for them,” said Jennings, who has been the school’s pastor for five years.

Cook was listed in fair condition Tuesday at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, according to hospital spokeswoman Megan Rowe.

Jennings also reminded the children to avoid trying to say something profound to Jordan.

“Words aren’t going to fix this,” she said. “We don’t need to worry about our words, but worry about our hearts. Focus on being with Jordan and being with his family, and keep your prayers going for Jordan and the Cooks.”

Many of the students attended Tuesday night’s memorial service for Kelsey at Culpeper United Methodist Church and had plans to go to a service of celebration today at 2 p.m. at the Riverton United Methodist Church in Front Royal.

Jordan also has an older brother, Joshua, a 19-year-old sophomore attending Randolph-Macon College in Ashland. Their parents, Randy and LeeAnn Orndorff, provide spiritual services at Culpeper UMC.

Randy is the church’s pastor and LeeAnn is the director of children’s ministries.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or