GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Students at Preble High School are honoring the life of alumnus Alex Pretti after the37-year-old intensive care nurse was shot and killed last week by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Friday afternoon, friends Emalea Mitchell and Deanna Wozniak placed a banner expressing the written sentiments of Preble High students under the school’s marquee, where a community tribute to the 2006 graduate is growing.
"It hit too close to home," Mitchell said of Pretti’s death.
Both friends say they’ve felt a mix of emotions since the incident—and they’re not alone.
"There's a lot of sadness and confusion, but mostly, it's a lot of anger,"stated Wozniak.
Mitchell says, “It was devastating” to learn last Saturday that Pretti had died while protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Friends Mitchell and Wozniak said they needed an outlet for their feelings and decided to create the memorial banner in Pretti's honor.
"We just wanted something to at least make sure everybody knew that we had support for him," Mitchell said.
The banner serves as a way for the community to come together during a difficult time.
"The community struggled so much to accept this loss and to process these emotions...and this was the best way that we found to do this," noted Wozniak.
"All of these people are able to stand up, share their voices and show how deep the Preble community runs," Mitchell added.
Watch the full story by Jessica Goska here:
The students have also created a second signed banner that they shipped to Minneapolis to hang at the memorial site where Pretti was killed.
"He will be remembered as a human," Wozniak emphasized.
The Preble community is determined to keep Pretti's memory alive.
"He will not be just another story," said Wozniak.
The memorial banner will come down on Saturday in accordance with the district's past practice. The students plan to gift the banner to Pretti's parents.
