KATHY CONRAD

Thirteen-year-old Kathy Conrad spent Tuesday afternoon meeting with some of her St. Joseph School classmates about a new outdoors club. This morning, friends began the grieving process for Kathy, a cheerleader and highly involved teen in her school and church, who died Tuesday night after falling from a treehouse at her familys Smiths Grove home around 5:30 p.m.Kentucky State Police said Kathy was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m. at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after being taken off life support. Police said she landed head first in her fall and immediately stopped breathing. She was taken by helicopter to Nashville from The Medical Center. A prayer service was held this morning for St. Josephs Schools middle school students. Kathy was an eighth-grader. Over and over the students talked about how she loved to sing and how she was one of the nicest classmates they had, Principal Jan Lange said. She always had a smile on her face and was always one of the first to say I want to do it. Lange said one of her current teachers described Kathy as always being inclusive, making sure no one got left out. Kathy also was involved in the schools Sand in the City building team and other activities. Four grief counselors from the Warren County Schools Crisis Response Team were at St. Joes today talking with students. I cant thank them enough, Lange said. Students and teachers at St. Joes plan to establish a fund to help Kathys family, Larry and Marybeth Conrad, with medical and funeral expenses. For more information, contact the school at 842-1235.J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Home on Broadway Avenue will be handling funeral arrangements.