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Posted on Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.

Teachers: Ypsilanti teenager who drowned was hard worker with infectious laugh

By John Counts

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Authorities search the water for 15-year-old Raybeon Rochelle Jenkins of Ypsilanti near Pere Marquette on July 19, 2013.

Natalie Kolb | MLive

The 15-year-old Ypsilanti girl who drowned in Lake Michigan over the weekend was remembered by teachers Monday as a hard-working student with an infectious laugh.

Raybeon Jenkins was known by her middle name, Rochelle, to the other students and teachers at Roberto Clemente Student Development Center, where she recently finished up her freshman year, said Principal Benjamin Edmonson.

“She was a wonderful person,” he added.

Jenkins lived in Ypsilanti, but attended Ann Arbor schools, officials said. Police said her father lived in the Grand Rapids area and that Jenkins was on the west side of the state visiting him with her mother and sister.

Jenkins went missing Friday while swimming around 7:30 p.m. with her 14-year-old sister at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon. Her body was recovered Sunday by police divers.

Art teacher Beth Portincasa said she was shocked to hear the news because Jenkins, who took boxing lessons, was in such good physical shape.

“She’s an athlete. To see that she drowned was odd,” Portincasa said. “She was a smart girl. She wouldn’t make dumb choices.”

Portincasa also remembered Jenkins as a leader who was starting to blossom as an artist.

“As a freshman, students still looked up to her,” she said. “She had her stuff together. She worked hard. She was making phenomenal art for a freshman.”

English teacher Lexanna Lyons said Jenkins earned all A's and B's in her classes and was on the honor roll.

“She was a very good student,” Lyons said.

Jenkins will also be remembered for her positive attitude and generous spirit at the school. Lyons said if other students needed to borrow pencils, paper or even money, Jenkins was always there to help. The English teacher also said the girl’s laughter was contagious.

“You would hang on to that laughter,” she said. “She will be greatly missed. We all loved her.”

Attempts to reach Jenkins' family Monday were unsuccessful.

Jenkins' death is one of several recent drownings in Lake Michigan. A 67-year-old East Lansing man, Bruce Henderson, drowned Saturday while swimming with friends at the Nordhouse Dunes south of Manistee, MLive reported. The body of 47-year-old John English, of Walker, was also found Saturday. He was last seen swimming near Norton Shores a few weeks ago.

Dangerous boating and swimming conditions attributed to changing weather patterns were expected to continue throughout the week, MLive reported.

John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Comments

jns131

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 7:48 p.m.

Lake Superior and Lake Michigan are notorious for their under tow. Even strong swimmers can succumb to these waves. Sad to hear another young life was lost. Were there warnings for swimmers on these beaches or not? I know when we visit this area there usually is. I remember a few times the Coast Guard would put up warnings and we gave up going in the water.

Jenn McKee

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 4:23 p.m.

And here I thought, after my kids learn to swim, I can breathe a little easier when they're in the water. This is terrifying to read about. And I can't help but think of how terrifying this was for the 14 year old sister who had been with her. It must be a terrible, permanently haunting thing to be present when your sister disappears in the water and you never see her alive again. Tragic. Hope this young woman and her parents get whatever support they need.

jns131

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 7:49 p.m.

Strong swimmer or not. You can get sucked in on the under tow. The worse time for this is after a storm. So just keep an eye on em.

Nikkip

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 2:55 p.m.

This is absolutely heartbreaking. I pray that the Lord brings his peace and stillness to this family and all affected friends and community members in their time of need.

Kathy Sabol

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 3:59 a.m.

I'm so sorry to hear of this. She will be missed by her Roberto family. My deepest sympathies.

brian

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 2:14 a.m.

So sad, prayers to the family.

daywell

Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 9:11 p.m.

Such a loss. The family should be left alone to grieve, probably why they didn't respond to "attempts to reach Jenkin's family Monday were unsuccessful.

John Counts

Tue, Jul 23, 2013 : 1:50 p.m.

The attempts were limited to giving my contact information to Roberto Clemente Principal Ben Edmondson to pass along to the family in case they wanted to speak. Edmondson said he spoke with Jenkins' grandmother, who said the mother was too distraught to talk to anyone. This is an understandably heartbreaking time for the family. If they want to speak to us, they have that option.

mady

Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 8:50 p.m.

So tragic, my sympathies to the family.

Liz

Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.

We've lost two Washtenaw County kids to Lake Michigan this month. Everyone be careful! The lake looks so beautiful and inviting, but can be so dangerous.

vida

Mon, Jul 22, 2013 : 7:18 p.m.

So sorry for the familiy' s loss.