Olney High School is mourning the loss of Ondria Glaze, the beloved Philadelphia teacher killed in a Grays Ferry murder-suicide

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The Olney High School community remembers a dedicated educator.

Ondria Glaze, 36, was killed Monday in a murder-suicide in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia, leaving students and faculty in disbelief at the tragedy.

A makeshift memorial has sprung up outside Glaze’s office and there are plans to ensure her memory lives on at the school.

“Mrs. Glaze was the nicest person I ever knew,” said Kai Sutton, a senior at Olney High School. “Every time you saw her, she was always smiling.”

Students and staff are mourning the death of their beloved special education teacher and observer.

“She embodied ‘Olney Love,'” said Michael Roth, principal of Olney High School. “She was a light wherever she went. She was a blessing to everyone she came in contact with.”

In her more than 10 years at Olney High School, students say Ms. Glaze felt like family.

“Honestly, she wasn’t even a friend, more like a sister to all of us,” junior Joseph Peralta said.

“She was truly a sister to me,” added teaching assistant Tim Williams. “This week has been very, very difficult because I feel like I have lost a member of my family.”

The students have created a memorial in front of their office with notes, flowers and pictures hanging on the wall.

“We didn’t organize them. They just did it,” school counselor Shawn Donoghue said.

“This was called a ‘hub.’ They would look for her and she would always be willing to listen to anyone who wanted to come in and talk,” said fellow teacher Kelly Wallace.

The school is currently working to create a scholarship in Ms. Glaze’s honor to keep her memory alive.

“We will give (It) “Each year we give the gift of a graduate who embodies that light and love here in the Olney school community,” said Principal Roth.

A vigil for Glaze will be held on Monday, May 13 at 6:15 p.m.

A GoFundMe has been set up with the goal of establishing a scholarship fund in Glaze’s honor.