Rosa Aguillon, BHS 2006?

Rosa Aguillon, BHS 2006?

Student dies in pool accident

June 18, 2003 Ben Godar, Burbank Leader

Students at Burbank High School on Tuesday continued to mourn the death of a popular 15-year-old freshman who was electrocuted while swimming in a pool over the weekend. Rosa Aguillon was shocked by a malfunctioning swimming pool light at a home in Panorama City about 6:50 p.m. Sunday, according to LAPD Detective Al Aldaz.

Teachers at the high school were notified of Aguillon's death Monday morning, Principal Leslie DeRoos said, adding that many students were upset by the news. "The counseling staff and our school psychologist saw more than 100 kids yesterday," she said Tuesday.

Students erected a memorial to Aguillon along a chain-link fence in the school's courtyard. Dozens wrote messages on long rolls of paper attached to the fence, and several bouquets of flowers were laid on nearby steps. Students put up several items related to SpongeBob SquarePants, and others wrote they were praying for Aguillon and wished they had known her better. "You'll always be in our hearts," wrote one student. "I'll never forget your big smile. I love you." In her memory, school officials played one of Aguillon's favorite songs, "Every Step I Take," by P. Diddy, over the loudspeaker Tuesday, DeRoos said.

Aguillon's death stunned many students at the school, junior Norta Butros said. "Everybody feels sad, even if they didn't know her," she said. "She was so young. She didn't even finish half her life." Bret Harte Elementary School Principal Diane Berger remembered Aguillon as outgoing. "She was a very happy, bubbly girl, full of hopes and dreams for the future," Berger said.

Audrey Brooks, who supervises the child-care program at Bret Harte, had known Aguillon since she was 4, and also knew her two younger sisters. "I didn't know about it until Monday morning," Brooks said. "It was just a real shock. It's just really tough."

People at the home where Aguillon was swimming Sunday performed CPR, but she was unresponsive when paramedics arrived, Aldaz said. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Police have ruled the death accidental, but crews from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety will inspect the pool to try to determine the source of the malfunction. "This is just a tragic death," Aldaz added.