By Eric Stevick
Herald Writers
EVERETT — Profound sadness gripped Cascade High School on Tuesday as news that Brett Jensen, a Class of 2001 student body president, fell to his death from the second-story balcony of a University of Washington fraternity house earlier in the morning.
Jensen, a 19-year-old freshman at the UW, was one of three students to graduate from Cascade High School last spring with a perfect 4.0 grade point average after four years.
His death hit particularly hard at a school where his father, Don, has been a counselor for 17 years, and his sister, Megan, is a senior. His mother, Janice, is a teacher at Eisenhower Middle School, a feeder school to Cascade.
"I think everyone kind of feels like they lost a son," said Mike Therrell, a Cascade High School teacher. "He has been a part of the school since he was probably 5 years old."
Seattle police were called at 1:15 a.m. to the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity house in the 4500 block of 17th Avenue NE. Witnesses told police that Jensen fell 30 feet from a second-floor balcony and landed in an alley.
Police say the fall appears to be an accident. An autopsy was scheduled today by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. According to police, a witness who had been talking to Jensen in a stairwell about five minutes before he fell said Jensen had been drinking but looked "under control." Brett Jensen was a part of the Cascade High School community long before he arrived as a student.
As a youngster, Jensen was the boy in the tuxedo holding the crown for homecoming coronation. As he grew older, he was the ball boy for high school football games.
His peers voted him class president each year from the seventh grade through high school. He was a mentor to elementary school students through Cascade’s "Bruin Buddy" program. He helped as a coach for Special Olympics for three years, volunteered at the Everett Gospel Mission and served on the Youth Advisory Committee for the Everett Parks Department.
In the classroom, he also excelled. He won a prestigious Washington Scholar Award, which is given annually to three high school seniors from each of the 49 legislative districts in the state. Washington scholars receive state grants equivalent to four years of undergraduate tuition. He was also a Washington State Principals Scholar, a Washington State Honors Award winner and a UW Undergraduate Scholar winner.
"There aren’t too many people who come along and make the impact that he did," said Don Jensen, his father. "We always just sat back and said, ‘Wow, this kid is so blessed.’"
"He just had so much love and kindness," his father said. "He was always looking out for somebody else, wanting them to be happy. He wanted them to love life like he did."
Don Jensen felt a sense of how much his son affected the community Tuesday as supporters rallied around the family.
"Knowing that people care and that they loved our son is so important," he said. "We are really thankful for all their prayers."
Former teachers describe Brett Jensen as an aggressive and focused learner, a student who turned the tables and pushed them for answers. If he was not satisfied with their replies, he would pursue the information himself.
"The top of the top, the best of the best, that is the only way to describe him," Therrell said.
Mike Wilson, Brett Jensen’s honors class Washington state history teacher, served as his offensive line coach and witnessed his work ethic on the football team. A knee surgery his senior year cut short his career, but he found other ways to support his teammates.
It was a trait Wilson observed in many aspects of his life.
"He was a pure leader," Wilson said. "He wanted the responsibility. He didn’t want all the attention.
"He was a magnet. He drew people to him and he lifted them up," he said.
Don Jensen said his son led by example and felt no need to preach.
One of his son’s frustrations was he had so many academic passions he couldn’t pick a major. He was considering medicine, law, education and business.
At his graduation speech in June, Brett Jensen told his fellow graduates: "We all come from different backgrounds and we all have different futures ahead of us. It is not what we do, but how we do it."
You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446 or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.
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